Today, businesses have an online reputation to uphold. Why? The kind of reputation you have influences your customers’ decisions about whether or not they want to invest in you. The better the reputation, the more customers you will have. However, the question is what it is that makes or breaks your online reputation? Positive online customer reviews! Yes, you read that right. What people say about your business online determines the kind of reputation you will have. Be sure to read about the consequences of buying fake reviews here.

If people are going gaga over your products and services, they will express their delight over feedback, and this, in turn, will encourage other online users to invest in your business. All of this can take your business to heights of success you may have only dreamed of. If you are wondering how you can get glowing reviews for your business in the online world, you have come to the right place. Here we discuss all the tactics to boost your online reviews so that more people trust your brand.

1.      Directly Ask Your Customers for Online Reviews

But the trick is to ask for it at the right time. Yes, timing is the key. Requesting your customers for reviews at the wrong time can lead to customers leaving a negative review, which hundreds of users will read when they’re looking to buy something from your business. Choose strategic moments during the journey of your customers to ask them for their feedback. What are these “strategic moments,” you may ask?

• After they have a positive experience with their purchase
• When they come back for another order or purchase
• After they tag your brand in a social media post
• When they refer another customer to you
• If they are frequent buyers
• If they spend a lot of their time on your site browsing your products and services

However, remember to follow the best code of conduct to get positive reviews from your customers. Never demand feedback. Always ask them if they can take some time out and give their valuable feedback. To ensure your team members ask for reviews in the correct way, train and monitor them. This will ensure that all of your team members are following the same values and beliefs when dealing with customers.

The right way to approach your customer for reviews is by first asking what their experience was after using your product. If they reply positively, ask them to post that on your website or any other review site you use. Don’t forget to follow up with a thank-you email for their review. In doing so, you will be building a long-lasting relationship with your customers.

2.      Incorporate Review Requests into Email Automation

Email is the best method you can use to encourage customer reviews. Yelp, Google, Facebook, etc., are great inbound marketing tools. However, these platforms don’t let you take control of the review platform. You simply have to wait for customers to leave their reviews, and you never know how much you have to wait – one day? Three days? A week? A month?

However, email does allow you to approach the review process as an outbound marketing tactic. Without being pushy or annoying, you can simply email your review forms to your customers and ask them to fill them out for you. Just make sure you do this at the right time.

Don’t worry; you won’t be the odd one out here because approximately 61% of brands collect feedback through emails, so you already have that going on for you.

When asking for a review through an email, just be conversational. Use subject lines, such as “what did you think?” “can you give other customers a hand?” etc. Also, try to make it appear a bit attractive so that your customers take an interest in it. No need to bombard the email with emojis, GIFs, etc., but a strategic GIF and a high-quality image can make your review process interesting.

3.      Incentivize Customers for their Feedback

If it fits your business type, offer a small reward, such as a coupon, voucher, or discount, to your customers for posting a positive review on your website or social media page. Make sure you clearly communicate that you will incentivize satisfied customers for investing in your product and providing positive feedback for their experience.

A word of caution: ideally, you shouldn’t be earning reviews by offering special discounts, coupons, vouchers, etc., because Google, using its analytics to monitor review traffic, filters out websites that use this tactic to get positive feedback for their products or services. However, if you do this once in a while, you’ll be able to get a whole bunch of positive reviews from time to time.

4.      Aim to Turn Negative Comments Into Positive Ones

Did you know that one negative review can lead to a loss of 22% of your potential customers? Even though you should aim to not get a single negative review, if you do, for some reason, thank your customer for their feedback followed by a sincere apology. Don’t stop there. Work to turn that negative feedback into positive feedback. How can you do that? Well, look for ways to turn the bad customer experience into a good one. For instance, if you delivered a defective product to your customer, replace it with a new one.

When you are able to convert an unsatisfied customer into a happy one, ask their permission to post the fact that the issue was resolved. You should always aim to be proactive when it comes to turning an unfavorable review into a favorable review. Don’t delay it because it will only make matters worse for you.

5.      Create Various Spaces to Leave Positive Online Reviews

If you are targeting your potential customers online, it’s safe to say that you have a website. And there was a time when having a site was enough for a brand. However, in today’s social media age, a business needs to have a presence on different social media platforms so that it’s easier for customers to share their personal feedback.

For instance, if you only have a Facebook page, you won’t be able to connect with your Instagram customers who may want to share their positive reviews on the photo-sharing platform. Thus, due to the lack of an Instagram business account, you will be deprived of getting feedback that can place you on the map; which is why we recommend you to have your business accounts/pages wherever your potential or loyal customers hang the most, such as:

·        Facebook

Make sure you have a proper Facebook page so that your potential customers can find you to learn more about you without needing to switch from their social network to your site. It’s worth knowing that there are over 2.7 billion monthly active users on Facebook, with the highest demographics falling between the age group of 25 – 30 years old. You will also be surprised to learn that a large percentage of teens as well as the elderly use Facebook avidly.

Among other social media platforms, you can have your business account on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Snapchat.

·        Yelp

According to recent research, Facebook and Yelp turned out to be consumers’ most trusted sources for customer reviews in the United States. So, apart from Facebook, you must claim your business on Yelp for Business Owners. Once you have created your profile on Yelp, make sure to stay active and social. Responsive business owners tend to have a greater response rate, which leaves a good impression on readers, and they take one step toward becoming a new customer of your business.

·        Amazon

If you sell products online, Amazon can be a total game-changer for you. You can claim and personalize your Amazon page and sell your products through this terrific medium. Please note that Amazon serves up a range of results for different searches, so make it a point to properly optimize your Amazon page in a way that it aligns with your website and social media pages/accounts.  If a buyer finds your product over the process of an Amazon search, ensure that your page not only highlights product details but reviews and testimonials as well. In fact, most customers will be interested in purchasing your products if you have good reviews on your Amazon profile.

·        Google

Another excellent platform to have your business on is Google My Business. It’s the world’s biggest search engine, and having your customers leave their positive reviews on it will take your brand to another level. Since Google is often the first choice of search engine for most online users, having good feedback on it can change your business game in the blink of an eye.

6.      Showcase Good Online Reviews Everywhere

Don’t be shy when it comes to boasting about your brand online. After all, it’s the number one tactic to get more customers and increase sales across the online sphere. Don’t hesitate to talk about favorable customer experiences on your site as well as social media pages and back them up with great positive reviews.

Doing so will do two things for you. Firstly, it will encourage more people to take an interest in your brand, which means they will be eager to purchase from you. On top of that, other customers will also be eager to jump on the bandwagon of posting online reviews for your business. When so many people are talking about you in the online world, Google will instantly notice you, and you will up the ranks on the Google search engine result. Imagine, with just the help of good reviews, you will be able to create a lasting name in the online world.

7.      Host A User Conference Event

Hosting events where your prospective and loyal customers can gather around and talk about your business can be a brilliant way to create a buzz about your brand. This will give you tons of opportunities to ask for in-person feedback – or create conditions where your customers are more likely to leave raving reviews online. To achieve this, you will need to host a successful user conference and invite your valuable customers.

Create an interactive platform for customers to network with you, your team, or other customers. Give them access to newly-launched products at a discounted price or a chance to buy exclusive products that haven’t even hit the market yet. Developing positive sentiments toward your business will increase the likelihood that your customers will leave more (read: positive) reviews on your site and social media pages/accounts.

To take things to the next level, you can make getting customer reviews a part of your post-event feedback process. For example, ask attendees to fill out the feedback survey before they leave. Ask them to share their favorite experience at the event. You can then post these positive reviews on your website and other online platforms.

Conclusion on How to Get More Positive Online Reviews

No matter your business type, you need to have a reputable image in the online sphere. To build a good reputation, you will need to get people talking about you – in a good way, though. Also, ensure you implement our effective methods to get positive online reviews for your business’ success.

Still not sure how to boost your customer reviews online? Get in touch with our team of experts at TurnKey Reputation to effortlessly increase positive customer reviews for your business online!