Creative Ways to Ask for Customer Reviews (That Work)

Peer-to-peer reviews on third-party websites and social platforms are incredibly important when it comes to improving your business’s search engine ranking, nurturing customer relationships, and building your reputation online. Good and bad reviews go a long way when it comes to influencing purchase decisions among your potential customers. In fact, research shows 93 percent of consumers say online reviews have had an impact on their purchase decision.Asking customers for their input on your products and services is a great way to make them feel valued and can help strengthen their connection to your business. But how can business owners make these requests without seeming presumptuous?Think beyond the typical feedback email and try these creative and proactive ways to encourage your customers to endorse your business by asking them to write a positive online review.Add a line to your email signatureEmail signature marketing is a small but often overlooked way to make subtle requests of your customers. Consider updating your standard e-signature with a brief line linking to a review website and encouraging the reader to provide their feedback on their experience with your business.Use social platformsSocial media platforms are a great way to engage with your loyal customers and build a strong community of online supporters. Use Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites to reach out to business partners, colleagues, and former customers to ask them to write a testimonial on their preferred review site.Follow-up with a personal messageCustomers love a personal touch that makes them feel special, especially from a local small business. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask customers for their feedback directly. Pick up the phone, send a personalized SMS, or write a notecard to inquire about their satisfaction with your business and ask them to share their experience with others. This one-on-one approach is especially effective for service providers who work closely with clients. Think accountants, lawyers, and mortgage brokers, just to name a few.Add a review feature to your website — and create an incentive programPotential customers don’t just look at third-party platforms to learn about your business. They also look for reviews on your website to gauge how other people feel about your products. If you run a retail business with an e-commerce platform, consider gathering feedback from shoppers by adding a review function to your product pages. Ask customers to rate their satisfaction with their purchase following an order, then email them a personal discount code once they submit their response.Ask for reviews at the point of saleIf you operate a brick-and-mortar business like a restaurant or a retail shop, the checkout process provides an immediate and direct opportunity to solicit customer feedback just moments after a sale. Train your staff to politely encourage customers to share their feedback as they’re settling up a tab or wrapping gift items. Use this personal moment of interaction to share your gratitude for their support and reiterate how important online ratings and reviews are for your business’s success. You can also create subtle feedback requests by printing a special message on the customer receipt or your branded shopping bags.Yellow Pages helps all kinds of businesses, big and small, manage their online reputation and engage with new customers. Find out how you can partner with our certified experts today by calling 1-877-553-6883.