Social Proof | How To Get More Customer Reviews on Social Media

Let’s talk about getting more reviews on social media. Gretchen Wieners famously told Cady Heron “you wouldn’t buy a skirt without asking your friends if it looked good on you.” Well, the 2017 ecommerce version of Gretchen’s iconic declaration is “you wouldn’t buy a skirt without reading reviews from 15 strangers, sorted by body type and including photos.” That’s right, you don’t even need your friends anymore— 88% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (Forbes).

That’s not the only staggering stat surrounding the world of online reviews. When product reviews can increase revenue by up to 62% (Internet Retailer), it’s no doubt you’re going to want to add them to your site immediately. To help you figure out where to start, we’re sharing the most effective ways to get more customer reviews on social media.

 

1. Ask Them Directly (And Quickly)

Prompt customers to leave reviews on social media as much as you possibly can; calls for reviews should be placed prominently on your website, in email newsletters, and on product pages. This is not a time for subtlety; like most other things in life, asking for exactly what you want will yield the best results. Train your team to make asking for reviews part of their routine interactions with customers.

Timeliness is another key factor in the customer review lifecycle. Customers are also most likely to leave feedback soon after their purchase, so send a follow-up email asking for a product review within two weeks of shipping. This provides a timeframe for them to have taken their new purchases for a spin, but the transaction is still relatively fresh in their minds. Nail this cadence and you’ll be upping your feedback in no time.

 

2. Keep👏🏻 It 👏🏻 Simple 👏🏻

Here’s the thing about people and doing stuff: we would kind of rather not. Have you tried not doing stuff? It’s so easy!

So do yourself and your customers a favor by keeping your review process as easy as you can; that means avoiding overly detailed instructions and multiple steps. If it takes too long, you risk turning passionate advocates into disengaged users. Don’t let their inspiration fade because of your complicated platform!

 

3. Reward Customers for Reviews

This review form from Nordstrom is a solid example. It’s one page and kicks off with a star-rating system everyone is familiar with. From there it asks for a bare minimum of detail (but leaves plenty of room for excited shoppers to share everything they love) and poses two simple survey questions. A customer can be in and out and onto their next purchase in under a minute.

A little extra incentive never steered anyone away from a comment form or reviews on social media. Notice in the Nordstrom example below, a customer can also enter to win a $1000 gift card for leaving a product review. Offering a monthly prize or a coupon with a simple survey can motivate customers to not only share their thoughts but to keep shopping with you.

Recognition is another way to reward your reviewers. Calling out your Top 10, Top 50, Top 500, etc. reviewers (like in this example from Anthropologie) can serve as a badge of honor for your customers and drive them to stay active on your site to either keep or gain status. Bonus: this also means they keep shopping with you! Reviews on social media really are worth their weight in gold.

4. Respond to Your Reviews

Don’t let a customer review just be a shout into the void. Someone just took an extra step that improves your website and your business, so make sure you say thank you! Letting them know their time and opinions are valued will keep them coming back to share thoughts on all of their purchases.

Remember that online reviews aren’t limited to your own website. Monitor all channels, particularly Facebook and Google. Keeping the conversation going with your customers across all channels will make product reviews a natural step in their journey with you.

 

 

5. Use Negative Reviews to Your Advantage

So often, people are more likely to leave reviews when they’ve had bad experiences than when they’ve had good ones. Hopefully, with these guidelines, you’ve mastered the art of gaining positive reviews from your customers, but don’t let the negative ones go to waste.

An unfavorable review is an opportunity to understand why someone had a bad experience and work to not only rectify their situation but improve your business as a whole. By responding to the review directly, as well as potentially following up via personal email or phone call, you have a chance to turn around a customer’s entire experience with your company.

They may not have even known that theirs was a problem your team could fix. A genuine response and offer for a solution can turn you from villain to hero faster than the Regina George Redemption Tour. Not only do you have a chance at winning that customer back—and having them become a major brand advocate—but it’s an opportunity to show other customers how you deal with negative situations.

Finally, poor reviews can shine a light on weak areas of your business you didn’t even know existed. Do customers not understand your shipping times? Is your FAQ section clear about fees and customs? Learn from customer feedback and avoid problems before they start. To read more on the importance of reviews on social media and more importantly, how to leverage them in your favor, you can read more, here.