Introduction
Getting reviews for your business is pretty simple. You just have to ask, follow up on the requests, and then use them in your content marketing. While it’s true that paying for reviews is frowned upon by many people (and banned outright by some), there are plenty of other ways to get good reviews without spending money. Plus, if you follow best practices when asking customers to leave feedback about your business or product, you can avoid getting caught bribing customers for positive comments.
Ask for reviews.
When you’re trying to get reviews, it’s important to be strategic about when and how you ask your customers. After they’ve enjoyed a positive experience with your company, ask them for a review. You can do this over the phone or in person (if they come into an office) or by writing them an email or leaving them a voicemail message. Also consider posting about the great service or product on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you have a website with an online store that sells products related to your business field—like clothing stores selling menswear—you should definitely have an easy-to-find link on every page of your site that prompts users to leave their feedback about their shopping experience there as well (this is also known as “exit intent popups”).
Follow up on reviews.
It’s smart to follow up with customers who have left reviews, both positive and negative.
- Positive: Thank them for their business and mention that you look forward to providing them with additional services in the future. You should also ask if they would be willing to share their experience with others by writing a review on your Facebook page or sharing their photos on Instagram.
- Negative: Apologize for whatever happened and express how you will work to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Ask if there is anything else you can do to make things right. If they tell you what they think went wrong, try to use this information as a learning opportunity rather than simply apologizing again and hoping it doesn’t happen again (because chances are good that it will).
Don’t forget Yelp.
You can also get reviews on Yelp. Yelp is a great source of reviews, because it’s more likely to have more reviews than other platforms. It’s also a good place to get reviews for local businesses.
There are two filters on Yelp that you should know about:
- A filter for finding the best reviews (the “Frequent Reviewers” filter)
- A filter for finding the worst reviews (the “Yelp Elite Squad” filter)
Avoid fake reviews.
Yelp has a review filter that will remove fake reviews. If a Yelp user thinks that the reason for your high ratings is suspicious, they can flag it and have it removed from your page. Yelp will remove reviews that are obviously fake, such as:
- The reviewer claims to be someone who does not exist (e.g., “My mom” or “A friend”)
- The reviewer doesn’t have any other activity on Yelp besides leaving a review for this business
- The review is written in an exceptional way compared to others on their account and/or other reviews from the same day and time period
Don’t bribe customers for reviews.
Don’t bribe customers for reviews.
This is a big one. If you’re going to ask for customer reviews, don’t ask in a way that suggests that you’ll give them something in exchange. Don’t offer discounts, free products or services as an incentive for people to write about your business on sites like Yelp, Google Local or Facebook Reviews (even if those sites allow it). While these seem like great things at first—and they are!—they can lead the reviewer towards feeling like they were deceived into writing their review by being offered some kind of compensation after the fact. This will leave them feeling angry and cheated, which isn’t good for anybody involved!
Use the best of your reviews in your content marketing.
You’ve spent a lot of time collecting reviews and you should be proud of the positive feedback you’re getting. Now it’s time to use those reviews in your content marketing! There are many ways to incorporate customer feedback into your content strategy, including:
- Testimonials: Use these as examples of how customers have found success with your products or services.
- Case studies: Share how one customer used a product or service in an innovative way and what results they achieved.
- Blog posts: Include quotes from customer testimonials alongside other content on the blog that relates to their experience with your business (e.g., “Five Things You Need To Know Before Hiring A Plumber”).
- Social media: Repurpose existing reviews into short (and usually humorous) social posts that highlight positive interactions with customers. These can be shared directly on social media but may also be included in email marketing campaigns, newsletters, etc., which means they reach more people than just those following a brand page directly on Facebook!
You can use reviews to build trust in your products and services without paying for them by asking for them and using them in your content marketing.
You can use reviews to build trust in your products and services without paying for them by asking for them and using them in your content marketing.
Reviews are a great way to build trust with potential customers, especially if the reviews come from people they know or who fit the target demographic of your product or service. Don’t pay for reviews — it will make you look less trustworthy, even if these paid-for reviews come from real customers. Also avoid asking customers directly for their opinions on social media (or anywhere else), as this can make them feel manipulated into giving an unqualified endorsement that may not be true based solely on their experience with one interaction with you rather than how they feel about working with you over time. Instead of begging people to write positive things about you that aren’t true, let genuine enthusiasm be its own reward!
Conclusion
Use the best of your reviews in your content marketing. You can use reviews to build trust in your products and services without paying for them by asking for them and using them in your content marketing.
