9 out of 10 customers read reviews before they buy a product. 80% of those customers only leave around 4 reviews a year. Can you see why it’s important to encourage your customers to leave reviews for your e-commerce store?
Customer reviews are an important part of the marketing strategy. They improve customer experience and generate more revenue. However, asking for reviews is a strategic marketing move that should be planned out.
Are you interested in learning more? Keep reading to learn when exactly to send “Please leave a review” to your customers
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Important Things to Consider When Asking Customers to “Please Leave a Review”
When you ask customers to leave reviews, you are hoping for a positive result. You want the customer to be happy with their experience and leave a review. However, there are some things you need to consider before asking for reviews.
The first thing is the type of review that you want to ask for. There are different types of reviews – positive, negative, or neutral. The type of review will determine how you will respond to it and what to do with the feedback.
However, it is important to consider the following before asking for reviews:
- What are the benefits of asking for reviews?
- What are the risks of asking for reviews?
- How will you handle negative reviews?
- How will you handle fake reviews?
Another thing you should consider is how long you want your customers to wait before asking them for a review. If you ask your customers too soon after their experience, it might not be as valuable as if you waited a few days or weeks before asking them for feedback.
Tone of Voice
The tone of voice when asking for reviews is an important aspect. It can make or break your business.
When asking for customer reviews, it is important to have a tone of voice that is not too aggressive or pushy. It should be friendly and understanding.
You want your customers to feel comfortable and confident in their decision to leave a review. How you ask is vital to getting a positive review.
Timing
Timing is everything when asking for a review. Depending on the type of products or services you sell, the best timing will differ. Some companies should ask soon after purchase while others need to wait until the customer has time to receive and use the product.
It’s important to ask for reviews at the right time, and not too early or too late. If you ask for reviews too early, you might get a bad review from someone who hasn’t had enough time to use your product or service yet. If you wait too long, it might be too late and people will have forgotten about your product or service by then.
For some services, such as food or grocery delivery, asking for immediate reviews is optimal. For professionals who offer services, you should ask after the services have been rendered. And for businesses that sell products, it’s best to send a request a few days after delivery.
Branding
The importance of branding when asking for reviews is that it helps to establish credibility. It also helps to build trust with the customer and make them feel like they are getting a good deal.
In order to use branding when asking for customer reviews, you need to have a clear understanding of what your brand stands for and what your target audience is. You should also be able to clearly communicate why you want the review in the first place.
Branding can be used in many different ways when asking for reviews, such as through social media or email marketing campaigns.
How to Ask for a Review
When you are asking for a customer review, there are some steps that you should follow to make sure that the process goes smoothly. They are:
Step 1: Determine Where You Will Ask (Email, Social Media, SMS)
It is important to know which platform to use when asking for a review. There are three main platforms that are used by businesses:
- Social media
- SMS
Each method has its pros and cons. What works for one company may not work for yours. It’s important to know where your customers are and their preferred method of communication when deciding.
Emailing a review request is the most popular way of asking for reviews. It’s easy and convenient for customers, and it’s also easy to track who has responded and when they responded.
Best practices for asking for customer reviews via email:
- Send a personalized email that includes your company name and logo
- Include your contact information in the email, so that customers know how to reach you if they have questions or concerns about their experience
- Offer a discount or incentive for customers who provide a review of their experience
Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., are great places to ask for customer reviews. Customers can easily share their experience with your product or service in the form of a review on social media without having to leave their profile page.
There are some best practices that you should follow when asking for customer reviews on social media. These include:
- Have a clear call to action in your post
- Use the right platform
- Use the right tone of voice
- Don’t spam people with too many posts
The most important thing to remember when asking for customer reviews on social media is that you should be authentic. You should not ask customers to review your product or service if you don’t believe in it yourself.
SMS
SMS is another option that many businesses use as an alternative method of asking for reviews from customers. It’s easy and convenient because you can use a simple text message to send to your customers.
The best practices of asking for reviews via SMS are:
- Have a clear call to action in your message, such as “Please leave a review” or “Please share this with your friends”
- Make sure your message is short and sweet and easy to read
- Include a coupon code or freebie if they leave their review on your site
- Send an incentive in the form of a gift card or other item if they leave their review on your site
Some companies have found success with asking for customer reviews via SMS. They have found that it is a good way to get feedback from customers who are not on social media. It can also be used as a marketing tool to generate leads and increase sales.
Step 2: Ask for Feedback Politely (Make It Easy to Do!)
When you ask for a customer review, it is important to be polite. You should not ask for a review in an aggressive way or make the customer feel like they are obligated to give you one.
The best way to ask for a customer review is by asking them if they would mind giving you one. This will make them feel more comfortable and will help them realize that they are not obligated to give you one.
And then make it an easy process that won’t take too much of their time.
Step 3: Follow-Up
After asking for a customer review, it is important to follow up with them. This will help you get more reviews and increase your chances of getting a positive review.
If the customer has not responded to your email within 48 hours, send them an email again with a reminder.
Why Should You Automate the Review Process?
The most important reason to automate asking customers for reviews is that it saves time and money. It also helps in building a relationship with your customers and getting more reviews from them.
Automating the review process can be done by using a variety of software. There are many available for business owners, so you must consider what you need and research to choose the appropriate technology.
Automated reviews help build trust in your brand and increase sales. It can also help you save time by eliminating the need for manual review processes.
When you use software, you avoid common mistakes that businesses make when asking for customer reviews. It can also help you get more reviews and increase your conversion rate.
Automate Your Customer Review Process Today
This article discussed how to ask for customer reviews. It also highlighted why you should automate the process for the best results. We hope you now know exactly when to ask “please leave a review” in your customer journey.
At Loox, we have been helping e-commerce stores just like yours with generating more customer reviews. We have a variety of pricing plans available to help businesses of all sizes.
Are you ready to get started? Contact us today to learn more.
Leanna Hayes
Leanna Hayes is a content and copywriter with a strong passion for eCommerce. If she’s not writing about all things Shopify, you’ll find her enjoying making latte art.