Review Management Companies for Businesses

Introduction

Reviews play a crucial role in guiding our decisions in various aspects of life, from choosing a movie to hiring a job candidate. Businesses are no exception, as consumers rely on reviews to research and evaluate local businesses before making a purchase. In fact, studies show that 68% of consumers research a local business before buying, and 93% read two or more reviews when researching a company.

While content created by brands may be met with skepticism, consumers trust the authenticity of reviews from their peers. Positive reviews provide social proof and can significantly impact a business’s reputation and customer acquisition. Therefore, it’s essential for businesses to actively seek and collect reviews as part of their marketing strategy.

However, many businesses fail to regularly request reviews. Manual review requests can be time-consuming and challenging to execute effectively. In this guide, we will explore how businesses can quickly and effortlessly generate more reviews for their business. We will also discuss the importance of online review management tools and how they can be a game changer.

What is Review Generation?

Review generation is the process of actively seeking and encouraging customers to leave feedback or reviews about a business, its products, or services. It involves implementing strategies such as asking satisfied customers for feedback or sending post-purchase emails to increase the number of reviews received. By consistently collecting fresh reviews, businesses can enhance their online reputation and attract more customers.

The Review Generation Process

To proactively request and collect customer feedback at scale, businesses can follow this step-by-step blueprint:

Step 1: Identify Review Collection Opportunities

Analyze the customer journey and identify ideal scenarios for requesting reviews. These scenarios may include immediately after a purchase or following a customer support interaction. Look for natural touchpoints where customers are already engaged and likely to respond.

Step 2: Create Personalized Review Requests

Draft personalized review requests to be sent at the identified collection opportunities. Personalize the messages using the customer’s name, transaction details, and the brand’s voice.

Step 3: Send the Request via Text and Email

Send the personalized review requests via both email and text message, assuming you have both contact details on file. This omnichannel approach caters to customer preferences and increases the likelihood of a response.

Step 4: Follow Up with Non-Responders

If a customer doesn’t respond to the initial request within a few days, follow up with a reminder emphasizing the value of their feedback. This reminder often prompts customers to leave reviews.

5 Benefits of Regular Review Generation

Asking for customer feedback can be intimidating, but the benefits far outweigh the cons. Here are five ways prioritizing review generation can help businesses:

1. Review generation increases sales: Positive or negative, reviews help businesses bring about positive changes, attract customers, boost conversion rates, promote their brand, and drive sales growth. Studies show that having 50 or more reviews per product can increase conversion rates by up to 4.6%.

2. Reviews give you a competitive edge: Reviews level the playing field for businesses of all sizes and budgets. A high volume of recent positive reviews allows businesses to stand out among more established competitors and gain a positive reputation in the eyes of potential customers.

3. Customers do your marketing for you: A glowing review is more effective at attracting customers than a marketing campaign. Positive reviews provide valuable social proof that convinces potential customers to make a purchase, builds brand awareness, increases trust, and fosters customer loyalty. Essentially, positive online reviews turn customers into brand advocates.

4. Reviews build customer loyalty: Customers who take the time to leave positive reviews have had a great experience and are more likely to remain loyal. Even negative reviews can be an opportunity to build loyalty by addressing the issues raised and showing customers that their feedback is valued. Studies show that seven out of ten consumers change their opinion about a brand after the company responds to a review.

5. Reviews increase search ranking: Online reviews play a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Generating reviews allows search engines to identify patterns and attributes about a business over time. Positive reviews, especially those containing relevant keywords, signal to search engines and potential customers that a business is trustworthy and offers valuable products or services. Search engines prioritize businesses with higher star ratings and a consistent influx of recent reviews, leading to higher placement in local search results and increased organic traffic to the website.

Strategies for Generating Reviews

Many businesses struggle to generate reviews because they either don’t ask for them or don’t make review generation a consistent part of their marketing efforts. Here are six strategies to help businesses generate more reviews:

1. Ask directly, then follow up: Many satisfied customers are willing to leave reviews if asked. Make it a habit to send review requests via text whenever someone makes a purchase. Follow up after a few days to remind customers and emphasize the importance of their feedback.

2. Make the process easy: Customers are doing businesses a favor by leaving reviews, so make the process quick, easy, and seamless. Send direct review links that go straight to the review site, use review platforms with simple one-click star ratings, and ensure the process is mobile-friendly.

3. Ask for reviews on relevant sites: Request reviews on the sites that your target audience frequents when looking for reviews in your industry. Focus on well-known review sites like Google and Facebook, but also consider niche-specific sites that cater to your industry.

4. Customize review requests: Avoid mass impersonal review requests. Personalize your requests with branding and messaging, address customers by name, and reference the product or service they recently purchased. Personalized outreach increases open and response rates and makes customers feel valued.

5. Use review generation software: Automating the review generation process saves time and increases the number of reviews received. Review generation tools like Birdeye allow businesses to build personalized campaigns, integrate with CRM systems, and automate the sending of review requests after specified customer interactions.

6. Send review requests on multiple channels: Reach customers on the channels they prefer by sending review requests via both email and text message. Text messages have a high open rate and response rate, so including this channel can significantly increase the number of reviews obtained.

Review Request Templates

When asking for reviews, keep the requests short, simple, and personalized. Here are a few templates that businesses can use:

1. Template 1 (Email):
   Hi [Customer Name],

Thank you for choosing [Business Name]! We appreciate your support. Could you please take a moment to share your thoughts on how we did? Your feedback helps us improve our service.

[Review Link]

Thank you!

1. Template 2 (Text):
   Hey [Customer Name], thanks for choosing [Business Name]! We’d love to hear your feedback. Could you please take a moment to share your experience with us? [Review Link]

Thanks!

What to Avoid When Generating Reviews

To effectively generate reviews, businesses should avoid the following pitfalls:

1. Waiting too long to request a review: Send review requests on the same day as a sale or customer interaction. Waiting too long decreases the likelihood of customers remembering their experience or being motivated to leave a review.

2. Focusing on the wrong review websites: Prioritize review requests on the sites that your target audience frequents. Don’t solely focus on popular general sites; consider industry-specific sites that cater to your niche.

3. Not requesting reviews from all customers: Don’t be selective when sending review requests. Request reviews from all customers, as even those who aren’t as engaged or vocal may still provide positive feedback.

4. Buying customer reviews: Buying reviews is against the terms of service of review sites like Google. Instead, focus on earning genuine reviews through automation and providing a positive customer experience.

Conclusion

Generating reviews is a critical aspect of a business’s marketing strategy. Reviews provide social proof, attract customers, build loyalty, and improve search rankings. By implementing effective review generation strategies, businesses can increase sales, gain a competitive edge, and leverage customer feedback to enhance their offerings. Prioritizing review generation and using review management companies like Birdeye can streamline the process and help businesses collect more reviews consistently.