Is it okay to ask for online reviews?
Most business owners are also facing this challenge. Either they have no idea how to get reviews the right way or are afraid that people will be reluctant in replying back. So, to answer the question: it’s just a matter of knowing what is allowed and what is not. If it’s a third-party review site, you have to be familiar with its terms and conditions. For example:
Yelp: discourages businesses from soliciting customer reviews as it will taint the site’s integrity
Google: encourages reviews for business
In this case, if you’re focusing on Google, then ask your customers to leave feedback on Google—but, still be careful when doing so. For Yelp, you can have a link to your Yelp page (don’t just say “leave us a review on “) It might seem a bit weird to ask for reviews, but it is harder for your business to compete if you don't have any reviews at all. You won’t get reviews until you ask for them.
But how?
You can do this by asking your satisfied customers for a review without pissing them off. For sure, if your customers had a great experience with your business, they'll be willing to share it online.
10 Ways to Ask for Online Business Reviews
1. Add a link on your website to the review page or review site you choose. You can say something like “Your feedback is important to us” or “Write us a review!”
2. Add the link of a review site at the bottom of your email newsletter. There's a huge chance that customers who have signed up for your newsletter have a good relationship with your business.
3. Add the link of the review site in the signature line of your outgoing email.
4. At the bottom of your cash register receipts or online transaction receipts, tell customers where they can leave their feedback.
5. Create a page on your website with links to review sites. Encourage people to visit these pages by saying, “Check out what people are saying about us! Don't forget to leave your feedback.”
6. Email your newsletter subscribers about a specific topic. For example, you can ask them to take a simple poll about your newest offerings.
7. Use the Facebook reviews tab for business pages. Make this tab appear on your homepage newsfeed to make it more visible and encourage reviews. Also, make it more engaging by asking them to share their favorite products.
8. Write a blog post about positive reviews. Let your customers know that you value their feedback. Be sure to share this blog post across your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.
9. Craft a useful customer survey. It can be a short “slider” survey that appears as customers browse your site, or a longer, traditional survey. Try using these platforms:
Qualaroo: where you can conduct a brief poll or ask simple questions
Survey Monkey: where you can do full-length surveys and ask any type of question
10. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool. If you receive an email, a tweet on your Twitter page, or a good comment on your Facebook post, then save it. Ask permission if you can publish it in your website’s testimonial or review page. This surely encourages more customers to share their feedback as well.
Customer reviews are an important asset to your business. If you believe that your business deserves good publicity, then you won’t have to fear inviting customers to share their feedback. Keep this important tip in mind: Don’t simply ask for good reviews—ask for honest reviews instead.