Asking for reviews is an important part of running a successful business, but if you’re new to the review collecting game, you may be wondering how to ask. To simplify this task, we’ve gathered tips on the best way to ask, including various best practices and a few templates to get you started.
The Importance of Online Reviews
Before we show you how to ask for a Google Review, you need to understand why they matter. Google Reviews are an incredibly effective marketing tool. Online reviews are the modern, digital version of personal recommendations, and 84% of people trust them as much as personal recommendations. Furthermore, 93% of people say that reviews are helpful for deciding whether to use a local business. And 98% of consumers look at reviews for their local businesses.
Simply put: Consumers trust online reviews.
In addition to those statistics, remember that Google Reviews:
- Help you build social proof
- Boost your online reputation
- Give you insight into areas where your business could improve
- Give you a chance to respond to negative reviews and control your business’ reputation
- Help you turn happy customers into referrals
- Improve your visibility in local search
How to Ask for a Google Review
76% of customers who are asked to leave reviews will do so. This shows that customers are willing to leave reviews as long as you ask. Let’s look at some best practices and tips to help you get more customer reviews.
Get the Timing Right
One of the most important parts of asking for reviews is timing. The point at which you ask for a review will depend on the type of feedback you want. For instance, if you want a review of the product or service, you must wait until the client receives and uses it. But if you want a review of the sales process, you should ask right after the purchase is made.
Some good opportunities to ask for Google Reviews include:
- When the product is delivered
- When the customer orders an additional item
- After a sales transaction
- When you finish the client’s project
- At the end of a sales conversation
- Anytime you make the customer happy
Tell Them Why Their Review Matters
As mentioned, most customers are willing to leave a review if you ask them to. But most people are more likely to leave a review if they understand why their review matters. Let your customers know that you appreciate their review and how it helps your online reputation. Explain that reviews are recommendations and help you appear in Google search results. Let them know that when they write reviews, potential customers see them and are more likely to choose your company. And make sure they know that you’ll listen to their feedback and implement changes where necessary.
Make It Convenient
A simple way to increase the chances of getting an online review is to make it as convenient as possible. For example, consider asking for a review via text message and including a link that takes the recipient right to the review page.
Texting is one of the most convenient ways to reach people. People are always on their phones, and 98% of text messages are opened. By including a link, know exactly where you want them to leave the review, and getting there is quick and easy.
Personalize the Ask
The modern customer loves to feel special—so personalizing should always be a priority. How do you personalize the request for a review? You can:
- Address the customer by name
- Reference the specific product or service they purchased
- Use a conversational tone—like you’re talking to a friend.
Review Request Templates
You need not start from scratch when crafting what to say when asking for reviews. Here are a few templates for various situations. Remember that you can easily adapt any of these to better suit your products, services, or clients. Or you can combine multiple ideas into a single template.
- “[Name], thanks for choosing us! We want to hear from you. Would you mind leaving us a review at the link below? [Link]”
- “Hi, [Name]! Reviews from amazing customers like you help us stay in business. Would you take a few minutes to leave us a review on Google? [Link] Thanks!”
- “Hi, [Name]. It’s [Your name] from [Business]. We’d love to hear how you like [Product]. Would you mind leaving us a review at the following link? [Link]”
- “[Name], thanks for choosing [Business]. If you enjoyed your experience, please leave us a Google Review. [Link]”
- “It’s been a pleasure working with you, [Name]. Would you leave us a review and help others find our business? [Link]”
To further encourage more reviews and improve the overall customer satisfaction rate, consider sending thank you messages or incentives after customers leave a review. For example, use the following templates:
- “[Name], thank you for your review! And thank you for choosing us for [Product/Service].”
- “Thanks for leaving [Business] a review. As a token of our appreciation, here’s a discount code for your next purchase.”
What About After the Review?
Asking for reviews is the first step to generating tons of reviews for your business. But your job doesn’t end there. Once the reviews start rolling in, it’s crucial for your business to respond—to both the positive and negative ones.
Responding to negative reviews is a crucial part of managing your online reputation. It enables you to turn unsatisfied customers into satisfied ones. It also lets you control the narrative to a certain extent, no matter how minimal.
Responding to positive reviews is just as important—and less intimidating. Responding to positive reviews shows customers and potential customers that you care about the people you do business with.
Start Gathering Reviews with Podium
Encouraging your loyal customers to leave a Google Review is a simple yet effective way to boost your sales and attract new customers. Most people will gladly leave a Google Review if you ask them, and you can boost the response rate with the right tools and strategies.
When you are ready to start gathering Google Reviews, Podium makes it easy to do so. We streamline the process of asking for Google Reviews via a combination of automation and text messages.
