This is the second part of three posts on customer reviews. Yesterday we started with why to include customer reviews in your site and why they work. Today, we'll be looking at 10 easy ways to get reviews from your customers.
1. Ask Them!
The most important thing - ask them! Not everyone will complete reviews, but you may be surprised by how many do. If you don't ask, you don't get.
2. Make it easy
A simple star rating takes only moments to fill out. Provide text boxes for customers that want to say more, but don't force them.
3. Offer an incentive
It is no longer thought a good idea to offer discounts off orders or free products when asking customers to complete reviews. They make other customers sceptical about their worth. Far better is to offer them a chance to win something, for example to be entered into a prize draw.
4. Appeal to their better nature
People like to feel good about helping other people, so let them know that their reviews will help others to make the right purchase and to help your company with your products.
5. Appeal to their vanity
People want their work to be recognised. Amazon's 'top 1000 reviewer' status has driven many mor reviews as people strive to get into the top 1000.
6. Email follow ups
Once your customer has received their product, give them a few days to try it out and then send a follow up email asking them to post a review. If the product is particularly good (or bad!) they'll be more inclined to do so. The amount of time before the follow up will depend on the product, so the only way to be sure is to test different lengths of time until you get it right.
7. Offer a survey after purchase
The important note here is after purchase. You shouldn't let feedback get in the way of your conversion, but a simple, brief, optional survey from the success page can have a dramatic effect, particularly if the shopping experience has been a good one.
8. Include a comment card with your orders
When sending out an order, include a comment card in it. If you also have a bricks and mortar store, then have comment cards on display for customers to fill out.
9. Ask your staff
Your staff members probably spend a large part of their day speaking with customers. When a customer makes a suggestion, get them to record it. When a customer comments on your service, listen. And when they talk about products, ask them to place a product review.
10. Get started!
A blank review page can keep many potential reviews away. People are more likely to post reviews for a business or product that already has a number of reviews online. Ask existing customers with whom you have a relationship to post your first reviews.
Tomorrow, we'll be finishing with part 3 - Dos and don'ts of customer reviews.