In the internet age, online reviews have become the new word of mouth. In fact, case studies have found that having one or more reviews on a product page can increase its conversion rate by 354 percent in comparison to products without any reviews.
Featuring customer reviews for your products or services on your webpage will build customer trust and drive purchases like few other marketing strategies.
But while reviews are obviously important, many online businesses find themselves wondering just how they’re supposed to get these reviews in the first place. The good news is that increasing your on-site reviews isn’t as hard as you might expect.
Send a Post-Purchase Email
Quite simply, the easiest way to get more reviews for your website is to ask — and the most effective way to do that is through a post-purchase email. After all, you already have your customer’s email address so you could send shipping notifications or reminders for your service appointment.
Approximately one week after the order has been fulfilled, send an email that asks for feedback for the specific products or services they purchased. To increase response rates, give customers the option to leave only a star rating, or to write a longer review in addition to their rating. Direct links within the email will make it easy to leave a review with just a few clicks.
Make sure your email is optimized for both desktop and mobile, and don’t forget to thank them for their purchase. A short, timely email will greatly improve your review rates.
Incentivize Reviews
If you’re having trouble collecting reviews for your website, don’t be afraid to incentivize them! Offering a little extra motivation can go a long way in encouraging customers to share their feedback.
Common examples of review incentives include sweepstakes to win products or services, free shipping or discounts on future orders, or a gift card giveaway.
Don’t pressure customers to leave good reviews. Ask for their honest opinion! This makes them more likely to leave a review. Even if you get a few negative reviews, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Online shoppers actually view negative comments as a way of balancing their decision. If you only have perfect reviews, they might think your reviews are fake.
Share Reviews on Social Media
Online customers want to know that their opinion matters. One of the best ways to showcase this is by taking reviews left on your website and featuring them on your social media channels. Pairing a direct quote from a review with attractive imagery helps share your brand story. Attributing the comments directly to the customer helps them feel seen and valued.
Sharing positive reviews on social can encourage others to leave reviews, because they want their own comments to be featured. This also gives your online reviews a more powerful platform by ensuring that more of your audience is able to see them.
Start Gathering Reviews!
While gathering reviews requires a bit more outreach to your customers, the results will quickly have a snowball effect. With more reviews on your product or service pages, new customers will be more inclined to give you a try — and when they have a positive experience, they’ll add their review, as well. Making a consistent effort to get online reviews will provide the social proof your business needs to succeed.
