5 Tips for Five-Star Reviews & More Online Reviews

Ratings and reviews are integral for sellers of anything online. Customers place a lot of trust in reviews. The latest research reveals 30% of all shoppers look to Amazon before they buy a product, and 13% look at Google. That’s 43% of people checking out reviews every time they buy something.

Getting reviews is hard, and getting consistently good reviews is even harder. We’re going to show you how to get an edge on the competition and enhance your online reputation.

Customers don’t hate giving reviews – if you ask right…

Businesses are notorious for having the problem of not getting enough reviews. It’s led to the myth that customers hate giving them. If you ask them, you increase your chances of getting a review, but you have to ask them right.

Asking them in the right way involves:

• Asking them in the first place. It’s shocking how many businesses simply don’t ask.
• Be appreciative. Make it clear they’re doing YOU a favor.
• Make it simple. Don’t make them jump through hoops. Leave a link where they can submit a review.
• Don’t offer an incentive. This is a legal grey area and could lead to repercussions, particularly if you live in the United States.
• Make it clear what you want. What do customers need to do to successfully submit a review on the desired platform?

Speaking of great reviews…here’s what’s in them

Once you’ve convinced a customer to leave a review, you need to educate them on what’s in a good review. A review is there to convince other people to buy your product or service. It’s the best form of marketing available, so you need to use its potential.

Good reviews aim to do the following:

• Offer a quick background to the product.
• State the customer’s intentions.
• Did it accomplish the right result?
• Would they buy it again?

It doesn’t matter if the review is 100 words or 500 words. As long as it addresses each of these points, that’s a good review.

Get automatic reviews with a system

Amazon has a system for encouraging reviews. A customer buys a product, they use the product, and after a few days, Amazon sends out an email asking them to review the product, which they frame in the form of a question.

You, too, need a system, and there’s no reason why you can’t copy Amazon’s system.

Every time you receive a purchase, add the customer’s email to a special list on your auto-responder. After three to five days, send out your review email to the customer. Do this only once and it will increase the number of reviews you get.

The best way to get great reviews if you’re starting from scratch

The hardest part is getting started. You have to understand the concept of EARNING reviews. This can be a slow process, so be prepared to be patient. Solicit customers on sites like TripAdvisor, Bing, and social media. There are plenty of sites where you can find people who would be willing to write an honest review.

You will have to offer some sort of incentive in the beginning. This is as simple as offering a free product or discount code in exchange for a review.

Other great sources of reviewers you should use – paid advertising and content marketing route

Paid advertising is a great way to get reviews if you’re starting from absolute zero. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) should get you more reviews and more paying customers, but it does come with a strong learning curve and it requires you to have an existing budget in place.

Of course, sometimes you have to solicit reviews directly. This procedure is fairly simple to follow.

Begin by searching for articles that relate to your product. For example, if you sell keyword research software, look for articles on the best keyword research software. Then take each item on that list and search for bloggers who have reviewed each tool.

Write a list and approach these bloggers with a proposal. You should offer the product for free as a given in exchange for an honest review. Join the blogger’s email list to stand out. Make it clear you’re serious about them as a personal brand.

Now put in the work and see what comes up. It will take time, but if you’re patient, you’ll quickly have a considerable number of reviews ready and waiting.