We all Need Reviews

Monday, February 15, 2021

First, let’s talk about Word-of-Mouth Marketing (WOMM).

Word-of-Mouth Marketing (WOMM): Is the technique of promoting a product, service, or business by soliciting positive comments from satisfied customers.

This isn’t a new concept, it was coined back in the early 70s by a mathematician and statistician, George Silverman. It all boils down to, people trust people: A Nielsen Report confirms 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising.

Trustpilot suggests that today’s consumer is more inclined to write reviews when the experience they’ve had strikes an emotional chord, whether it’s positive or negative. In addition, Trustpilot found that nine out of 10 consumers read reviews before making a purchase.

BOTTOM LINE: You need reviews, and you can always use more.

HOW TO GATHER REVIEWS FOR YOUR BUSINESS: ASK AND MAKE IT EASY!

1. Verbally Ask

In the moment, if you know that you have provided great customer service and the customer is happy with the product or service, ASK! Just casually mention, we would love to hear any feedback you might have on your experience today and hand over a business card with your social media handles on it. MAKE SURE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE IS CLEAR, EASY TO FIND AND ON YOUR BUSINESS CARD! We feel strongly about this one at Kesh but more on that in another post.

2. Follow Up Email

Make sure you are collecting email addresses at the time of purchase. This is important for future marketing efforts and getting reviews from your customers.

There is mixed information out there on how soon to follow up after a sale to ask for a review, but we suggest within three days and within 24 hours is even better! Trustpilot told us that people are more likely to leave a review “when the experience they’ve have strikes an emotional chord”. Why wouldn’t you strike while the iron is still hot?! Follow up with a friendly email thanking your customer for their business and asking them to leave feedback from their experience.

You will want this email to be personalized, short and link directly to your review platforms. Here is an example email you can use and update to make your own:

Hello Sally,

Thank you for business and we hope you are enjoying INSERT SERVICE OR PRODUCT INFORMATION HERE.

We hope you enjoyed your experience with us, and we would love to hear any feedback you might have. Please take a minute to leave us a review using the link below.

INSERT LINK TO PREFERRED REVIEW PLATFORM

You can follow us on social media @socialmediahandle and #hashtag. Make sure to tag us in your photos, we love it!

We appreciate your feedback and look forward to working with you again soon. Let us know if you need anything.

Sincerely,

Name

Business – hyperlink website

Direct Line or Cell Number

3. Use a Service

There are a ton of services out there that can help you collect and manage reviews efficiently. We most commonly use Podium. This is not an affiliate link; we just have had a great experience and success with them. These services can be expensive and check the reviews! HA, see… you need reviews! But services like this can streamline the process and save you time too if you have the means.

YOU HAVE THE REVIEW, NOW WHAT?

1. REPOND

The very first thing you do it RESPOND! The Trustpilot Report also shows that businesses who respond to customer reviews have higher star ratings.

It is important that you engage and acknowledge your customers. If a customer has gone out of their way to share their experience and praise your company, thank them! You’ll want to thank them for time, their feedback and their business. If a customer had an experience that led to a negative review, acknowledge it, ask for more detail and try to fix it. Many times, you can turn around a negative review into appositive experience if you take the time. And if it doesn’t help, at least other potential customers will see that you at least tried.

Example Response for a Positive Review: Thank you Sally for your feedback; we appreciate your business and look forward to working with you again soon! – Management Team

Example Response for a Negative Review: Sally, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us and we apologize that we didn’t exceed your expectations. We would like to investigate this issue further, please contact us at management@company.com. – Management Team

2. SHARE IT

Remember people trust REAL people. Share your customers review with existing customers with social media, sales emails, newsletters, your website… really, anywhere your potential customers might see it.

How many times have you seen a recommendation post on your Facebook feed and others jump on and share their own positive experiences too?! If a review mentions an experience with a specific employee, tell them and share that too. Two birds, one stone – happy customer, happy employee.

Example Facebook Post for a positive Review:

Have more questions? Shoot us email, we are always happy to help!

— Kelli