In Digital Marketing, Social Media

It’s no secret it takes more than a great product to be successful. In fact, one of the best ways to grow your business is through customer reviews — businesses with a minimum of 200 reviews generate twice as much revenue

Why does asking for reviews from consumers feel scary? You may be worried about being pushy, receiving a bad review, or becoming obsessed with monitoring your reviews. These fears are understandable, but don’t have to come true. 

We’re here to help and guide you on how to ask for reviews, and how to make it simple for your customers to follow through. 

Why reviews are critical 

Reviews validate your business. Online reviews increase your profit and credibility. They allow potential customers and clients to see what customers say about your business, and affect their buying decisions.. Nine out of 10 consumers read a review before buying a product, and positive reviews (as well as your response to negative reviews) allow consumers to feel more confident in their purchasing decision. 

Reviews are a way for you to interact with your current and potential customers. Good reviews provide an edge over other brands. Bad reviews offer an opportunity for you to stand out from other businesses through a considerate response. Both types give you an opportunity to show your consumers you value their input. 

Reviews are a valuable tool. You can receive feedback from your reviews to help your business define better processes and implement changes to improve customer experiences. Reviews also provide marketing content for your website, social media, and other digital and print projects.

Ways to ask for reviews from your customers

You know how important reviews are, and how they can boost your bottom line. But you won’t get these reviews unless you ask.

Here are nine ways to ask clients for reviews:

  1. Include a direct link to one of your review sites in every email campaign. 
  2. Create an automated system to send emails or texts asking for a review after a purchase.
  3. Use direct email or text to ask for a testimonial when your work has begun to show success for your clients.
  4. Give review cards thanking customers for their business and requesting a review. 
  5. Ask a consumer at the end of an in-person service to provide a review. 
  6. Include a QR code on your receipts that will link customers to your review site.
  7. Create a social media or online post with a link for customers to leave a review for your business. 
  8. Mail a handwritten letter to customers that provides space for them to write a review and send it back to you. 
  9. Create a process for customers to send negative feedback to you directly.

Ready for marketing to support your business dreams?

Make asking for reviews easy and painless

Asking for reviews will encourage customers to provide them. Creating direct links will make it quick and easy for them to do so. 

Direct links to your preferred review site allow customers to get to the right spot in one click. If a customer gets lost, distracted, or frustrated trying to leave a review, it may color the review they leave, or cause them to abandon a review altogether.

It’s also helpful to draft a template for each “ask,” using concise and consistent language. A “script” helps smooth over anxiety when asking in person, and gives you “drag and drop” speed when requesting a review via text or email. 

A sample email template might look like this:

Hi XXX,

Thank you for trusting us with your marketing projects! If you have enjoyed working with us on [Project ABC], we would love a Google review [include direct link].

If you have feedback for how we can improve our services, please share this with us via email or phone call. 

We look forward to your thoughts and feedback, as we want to learn from every 

relationship.

Where to ask for reviews 

It’s important to ask for reviews on sites that your unique audience frequents, including:

  • Google
  • Your own business website
  • Facebook 
  • Yelp
  • Industry specific sites such as Tripadvisor, Open Table, or Angie’s list

Handling negative feedback

There is a risk of receiving negative feedback when asking for a review. However, you can reduce negative reviews by providing alternate channels for negative feedback, such as encouraging customers to send negative feedback to you directly. If negative reviews pop up, responding calmly and promptly will reduce the impact, and can even work in your favor by showing that you listen, and care about your customers’ experience. 

Need more help managing online reviews? Check out our posts on

Asking for reviews is a worthwhile investment

Reviews can play such a vital role in the success of building your business. Creating a system to ask for reviews—and practicing regularly—will pay off when your customers’ words do your marketing for you. Making the process easy and automated will increase the time you can devote to other operational tasks. Be bold!