Successful marketers know that word-of-mouth advertising beats all other methods for generating new business. When clients and prospects read the positive opinions of others, it influences decision-making and builds trust in a way that regular advertising can’t do.

In today’s digital world, customer reviews are the new word of mouth. People seek them out, learn from them, and use them to make buying decisions. Positive reviews can spread rapidly, leading to explosive sales, while negative ones can impact revenue.

Fortunately, getting great reviews isn’t simply about getting your products and services out there and hoping for the best.

Here are 7 strategies you can use to ensure your customers are pleased and glad to leave positive feedback:

1. Make the most of your website: Your site is a great means for collecting customer reviews. Your blog posts and web pages should be optimized to allow visitors to leave comments easily and quickly. You must also provide a clear path to all your social media channels.

2. Request reviews across several platforms: The first step in collecting great online reviews is to make it as simple as possible for people to leave them. When it takes more effort to leave a review, people are less likely to spend the time to leave a review. Third-party review sites and social media are great platforms.
3. Incentivize reviews: If you aren’t getting the number of reviews you want, consider adding enticements to your review process. Everyone thinks their time is valuable, so you must give people a reason to leave a review. Incentives should motivate people to come back and shop again.

4. Solicit reviews in your email messages: Utilize email at key points in your customer journey to nurture customers and convert prospects. You will receive honest feedback because people communicate directly with you.
5. Promote your positive reviews: If you have great reviews, share them! It will not only encourage people to purchase from you, but it may encourage them to share their thoughts.

6. Respond to all reviews: For positive reviews, a simple acknowledgment and ‘thank you’ for taking the time to leave the review should be enough. Negative reviews, on the other hand, require more attention. It’s important to pay close attention to what the reviewer is stating and respond with either an opportunity to contact the business to fix the situation or a solution.
7. Ask at the right time: Doing this will help you get more out of the review process and improve customer service. Timing is important – the last thing you want is to irritate someone at the wrong moment, prompting a negative review.

Our team at Blue Orchid Marketing is ready to assist you with your reputation management and help you get more positive reviews for your business. Call us at 203-746-5901 or email us at sales@BlueOrchidMarketing.com today to schedule a consultation to discuss our digital marketing services.