How to Get BETTER Reviews

How To Respond to Customer Reviews

When it comes to whether or not you should respond to customer ratings, the answer is almost always yes. Responding to reviews—both the negative and the positive ones—shows potential customers that you care about the people you do business with.

But we get it. Responding can be intimidating. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Responding to Reviews: Do's and Don'ts

• Respond in a timely manner – usually within 48 hours
• Make your responses personal and meaningful.
• Show your gratitude in the response.
• Don't be defensive—a resolution is more important than being right.
• Don't let negative reviews discourage you.
• Don't respond only to negative reviews.

6 Benefits of Customer ratings

1. Customer ratings increase exposure and improve local SEO. Reviews alert web crawlers that a business is relevant to the searcher. Getting regular Customer ratings is one of the fastest and most important ways to improve local SEO and increase your visibility.

2. Customer ratings increase brand trust. Transparency is becoming more and more relevant for consumers. 86% say it's more important than ever, and 94% say they're more likely to be loyal to a transparent brand. Positive reviews increase customer trust in a local business significantly. The way businesses respond to reviews, both positive and negative, also impacts customer trust. 89% of consumers read business responses, and 56% say a business's responses have changed their perspective on the business.

3. Customer ratings create a valuable feedback loop. Every rating can serve as a customer survey response: whether you delivered a positive experience, where you excelled or under-delivered, and how you can improve.

4. Customer ratings improve the click-through rate of your website. Customer ratings increase the click-through rate of a business's website. The more clicks a site receives, the higher it climbs in Google's rankings.

5. Customer ratings increase revenue. Through visibility, SEO, feedback, and trust, customer ratings increase the amount of money businesses bring in. A Customer ratings strategy is one of the most cost-effective campaigns you can use.

6. Customer ratings are basically free advertising. There are no fees required to leave or receive reviews. Tell your customers how quick and easy it is to leave a free review (and that they don't even have to write a comment to give you a star review), and you'll see reviews roll in and a boost in your SEO ratings.

How To improve your customer ratings: 9 Tips & Best Practices

A well thought campaign can help you get Customer ratings for your business. Achieve it with simple solutions for your customers:

• Send a text. Increase the number of Customer ratings you get by sending a personalized text to your customers. You can automate the sending of these tailored texts with 1txt.co
• Create a customer rating link shortcut. Send customers a short link they can click to review your business quickly and easily. Create a link for free using 1txt.co's Link Generator.
• Automate the process. Automate your review system to send personalized invites at key points in your customer journey to increase your collection rate and save time.
• Post a sign. After a good experience, consumers are 12% more likely to leave a review if they see a sign asking them to.
• Train your employees to ask in person. Whenever possible, your employees should ask in person before sending a review invite.
• Use powerful language when you ask for reviews. Use active language that focuses on benefits, like "Leave a review to help us create a better experience for you."
• Add CTA pop-ups to your site. Use CTA pop-ups on your website to engage customers and catch any who may have fallen through the cracks.
• Send review requests to previous customers. Use your CRM data to connect with previous customers and ask for Customer ratings.
• Incentivize your employees. Incentivize employees based on the number of Customer ratings they collect. Offer extra incentives if their name is mentioned in the review.

How To improve your customer ratings: 9 MORE Tips & Best Practices

A well thought campaign can help you get Customer ratings for your business. Achieve it with simple solutions for your customers:

• Talk through good/bad reviews with employees in weekly meetings. Celebrate positive reviews and use negative reviews as case studies to improve your customer experience.
• Publicize changes. When you make changes from the feedback you receive, publicize those changes so customers know you are responding.
• Turn negative reviews into positive ones. Once you respond and an issue has been resolved, invite the customer to leave another review. Respond to negative reviews quickly and proactively.
• Add a review widget to your website. Embed Customer ratings on your website using plugins or widgets.
• Create a Customer ratings page on your website. Include an invitation to leave a review and highlight existing reviews. Pro tip: put them in text form instead of screenshots so keywords improve SEO.
• Create a template for your review text. Use a simple template so you can copy and paste review text to save time.
• Include a Customer rating CTA in your footer. If it isn't elsewhere on your homepage, at least include a CTA in your footer.
• Run a Customer rating email campaign. Ask customers to leave you a review via email.
• Include a Customer rating link in your email signature. Include a subtle CTA in all of your email correspondence.

How To improve your customer ratings: YET 9 MORE Tips & Best Practices

A well thought campaign can help you get Customer ratings for your business. Achieve it with simple solutions for your customers:

• Manage reviews. Respond to negative reviews within two hours and positive ones within 24 hours. Show customers that reviews matter to you.
• Leave a Customer rating card. Consider leaving a Customer rating card with a link (or QR code) and brief instructions on how to leave a review.
• Include Customer rating opportunities in surveys. When sending surveys, include the opportunity to leave a review at the end.
• Ask for reviews on social media. Post a screenshot of your best review and ask customers to leave their own feedback.
• Share positive reviews in other ways. Share them on your website, social media, and in your physical storefront.
• Get Customer ratings from vendors or partners. Network with other local businesses. It might help if you write one for them first.
• Create a "How to Leave a Customer rating" video. Create a short video that shows how easy it is to leave a review.
• Incentivize your customers to leave a review. Consider a rewards system or promo to incentivize reviews.
• Use a reputation management platform. With 1txt.co you can automatically send personalized Customer rating invites at the perfect point in the customer journey to increase your number of 5-star reviews.

How to ask for customer ratings

Getting more reviews isn't difficult—it just requires you to ask your customers for them. You can request reviews in person or via text. No matter what channel you use, think about the following:

• Choose the right timing. Usually, downtime in the sales process is ideal. For example, in the auto industry, a good time might be after the sale is completed and the customer is waiting in finance.
• Explain why your customer's opinion matters. Let your customers know that their feedback is important to you and that you use it to improve your business.
• Be transparent about your motive. There's nothing wrong with informing customers that you'd like a review because it helps you stand out in Google search results.
• Set expectations. Be clear about the process: How will they receive the invite? When? What channel should they be aware of?
• Eliminate barriers. Make the rating and commenting process as easy as possible. Use review management platforms and tools. Be clear about how to post Customer ratings.
• Personalize the ask. Make your customer feel special and personalize the ask as much as possible.
• Thank your customers for leaving a review. Saying "Thanks!" is a must. Be specific and personalize the response. Call the individual by name or refer to a part of their review.
• Follow up if you didn't get the review. Send a friendly reminder. They may need help with how to leave a review or a new link. Balance automation with personalization to maintain human connection.