Guide to Asking for a Review
Reviews aren’t just a written recommendation of a job well done. They are a mirror reflecting the traits shown and benefits given as you’ve completed your work. It is evidence that you show up and fulfill what you said you would do.
Reviews are the 4th R to our 4 R’s of Brand Building series; check out our other posts on research, reputationships, and referrals.
Why You Should Ask for a Review
People trust people. When previous, unbiased clients or colleagues leave reviews, others trust their recommendations. The more detailed, the better. People know that businesses advertise their brand to show off the benefits, but reviews are more transparent.
Reviews show authenticity that owners might not show. And since your business shines, this will only help you! They also show your differentiation from competitors in your market. This is why getting reviews is so vital to boosting business growth.
Reviews are seen as “social proof”, a term coined by Robert Cialdini in his book Influence in 1984. Also known as social influence, this is a social and psychological term that describes when people reproduce the actions of others to reflect what they think is “good” behavior.
There are 6 types of social proof: expert, celebrity, user testimonials, wisdom of crowd, wisdom of friends, certification. That means there are 6 different ways you can capitalize on social proof in your reviews.
How to Ask for a Review
Asking for a review can be awkward. It’s never easy to ask someone to go out of their way for a favor. However, it is necessary, and more often than not, people will be happy to write one for you. You’ve delighted them with your work, so why not leverage that delight?
Reviews aren’t essays, or emails, or blogs. They’re short testimonies that quickly encapsulate a great experience. Writing them takes as long as walking from your desk to get a cup of coffee.
Here are some ways you can organically ask for reviews:
- Frame your questions by sharing how and why reviews are important to you. This can garner empathy, a connection, and a greater understanding.
- Include reviews as part of your business process. Ask in the middle of your work, and then again at the end. This way, it’s a natural step to your business. You can utilize this step as a check-in tool, to gauge their thoughts on your partnership.
- Make it easy. Create one or two templates to provide to clients so they don’t get stuck on what to say. A great, easy platform for this is Google Forms. You can make one space for all your clients to write reviews.
- Consider the following before you ask: the audience of your question, reinforcing the success you had before, and asking in person (if able to).
How to Handle Negative Reviews
If you have a negative review, it’s not the end of the world. You can still recover from this. Show how great of a business you are by responding to the review. Be nice, and apologize for their bad experience. Be careful of sounding defensive. If applicable, direct the reviewer to another service or product you have that might help them more.
Thank the reviewer for their time in writing it and providing feedback. If their problem was a serious fault of your business, take steps to remedy it immediately so future clients don’t have the same problem.
Conclusion
Modern audiences rely on doing business with people they know, like, and trust. Reviews are ways you can build upon that like and trust. People trust reviews because they were written by other real people. Follow-up with every client, because their comment could make the difference to somebody else.
Enthuse Creative Can Help
Enthuse Creative can help your brand get more review. Reach out to us today for a free consultation.
