Local reviews can significantly improve the trust and credibility of a business among potential customers. They provide an unbiased and honest assessment of the quality of goods or services offered by a business, which can help potential customers make more informed decisions.

One of the main struggles that businesses face when it comes to collecting local reviews is getting customers to leave them in the first place. Some customers may not be inclined to take the time to leave a review, while others may not know how to do so. Businesses may have difficulty encouraging customers to leave positive reviews, as negative reviews are often more likely to be shared.

Here are some pointers for businesses to help them collect more local reviews:

Good user experience (UX)

User experience (UX) can play a significant role in gaining good local reviews from customers. UX refers to the overall experience a customer has when interacting with a business, including the ease of use of a website or app, the layout and design of a store, and the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff.

Good UX can lead to satisfied customers who are more likely to leave positive reviews. For example, if a customer finds a website easy to navigate and purchase from, they are more likely to leave a positive review. Similarly, if a customer finds a store to be well-designed and easy to shop in, they are more likely to have a positive experience and leave a good review.

On the other hand, poor UX can lead to frustrated customers who may be more likely to leave negative reviews. For example, if a website is difficult to navigate or a store is poorly designed, it can lead to a negative customer experience and a negative review.

User experience can have a significant impact on the likelihood of customers leaving good local reviews. By focusing on providing a positive and seamless experience for customers, businesses can increase the chances of receiving positive reviews and improve their reputation.

Include a card with their purchase

Including a card with a purchase or at the completion of a service is an effective way for businesses to encourage customers to leave reviews. The card can be a simple, small business card with the name of the business and a link to the review site, such as Yelp or Google Reviews.

By handing the card to the customer at the point of sale or when the job is completed, businesses can remind customers that their feedback is valued and appreciated. It provides an easy and convenient way for customers to leave a review, as they can simply follow the link on the card to the review site.

This approach also allows businesses to ask for reviews from satisfied customers, who are more likely to leave positive reviews. It is important to note that this approach may not be as effective for e-commerce or online-only businesses, as the customer will not have a physical interaction with the business.

How’s your customer experience?

Optimizing customer experience can help gain more local reviews from customers. The customer experience (CX) refers to the overall perception a customer has of a business and their interactions with it. Optimizing CX involves understanding the customer's needs, wants and expectations, and delivering them in a way that exceeds their expectations and makes them satisfied.

By optimizing the customer experience, businesses can create a positive and memorable experience for customers. Satisfied customers are more likely to leave positive reviews and recommend the business to others. They also tend to return to the business, which can increase the chances of receiving more reviews.

Optimizing customer experience can be achieved through various means, such as understanding and addressing customer needs and pain points, providing excellent customer service and support, continuously gathering customer feedback and using it to improve the business, personalizing the customer experience, and delivering on promises and exceeding customer expectations.

Now, you don’t need to hesitate to optimize the customer experience in your business because it can help gain more local reviews from customers. By providing an exceptional experience and exceeding customer expectations, businesses can increase the chances of receiving positive reviews and improve their reputation.

Make the review process as simple as possible

You're a business owner, but you're also a consumer, so you're aware that an overly complicated evaluation is unlikely to be completed. Expecting customers to spend too much time or energy on the procedure is one of the quickest ways to lose reviews. Your goal should be to eliminate any potential areas of friction that could turn off your clients.

As a result, you'll need to examine your process from the perspective of a consumer. How can you make it more efficient? Here are a few recommendations:

When you send a review request (by email, SMS, or another medium), include a link that directs the customer to the platform or a fillable form. The customer should never navigate the site and then find your business.

Keep your requests brief and to the point, while expressing your gratitude. Avoid using too much "fluff" to avoid losing clients' interest before they click.

Find a review service that allows clients to avoid the step of creating an account on your preferred site.

Include a message on your invoice

Including a message on the invoice is a great way for businesses to encourage customers to leave feedback. An invoice is typically the last touchpoint a business has with a customer before they receive their product or service, so it's a good opportunity to remind them of the experience they had with the business.

One way to do this is to include a message on the invoice that asks for a review and provides a link to the review page. For example, a message such as "Love our service? Leave a review at domain.com/reviews" can be added to the invoice. By providing a direct link to the review page, it makes it easy for customers to leave a review with just a few clicks.

It's a good idea to feature a link to the review page, as it helps the customer to find the right location to leave their feedback. This can be done by adding a link to the review page in the invoice so that the customer can easily click on it and leave a review.

This approach can work well for businesses of all types, including online and brick-and-mortar stores. It is a subtle yet effective way to remind customers to leave a review and provide them with an easy way to do so.

Signage

Signage is an effective way for retail stores to encourage customers to leave reviews. By placing signs around the store, businesses can remind customers that their feedback is valued and appreciated. Additionally, signs can be placed at the checkout or near the point of sale, which is a convenient time for customers to leave a review.

For example, businesses can put signs that read something like "Your opinion matters! Leave a review at domain.com/reviews" or "Thank you for choosing us. We would love to hear your feedback. domain.com/reviews"

This approach can work well for brick-and-mortar stores, as it provides a clear and direct call-to-action for customers to leave a review. Additionally, it can also be used in online stores, by creating a dedicated reviews page, and featuring a link to this page on the website's homepage or in the menu.

Creating a dedicated reviews page on the website, where customers can easily leave a review and read other customers feedback, can be a great way to improve the reputation of the business and build trust with potential customers. The reviews page can be easily promoted by using a call-to-action on the website, social media, or email campaigns.

Using signage around the store and website is a simple yet effective way for businesses to encourage customers to leave reviews and improve their reputation. This approach provides a clear and direct call-to-action and makes it easy for customers to leave feedback.

Conversation

The conversation is one of the most effective ways for businesses to get reviews from their customers. By engaging with customers and building a connection with them, businesses can create a sense of trust and loyalty that can motivate customers to share their feedback.

For retail stores, this can be done by having face-to-face conversations with customers at the point of sale or check-out. Businesses can ask customers about their experience with the products or services, and if they are satisfied, encourage them to leave a review.

For businesses that have meetings with their customers, such as service providers, this can also be done during the meetings. After a meeting, businesses can ask customers about their experience and if they are satisfied, encourage them to leave a review.

For online businesses, this can be done by engaging with customers through social media, email, or chat. By responding to comments, messages, and reviews, businesses can build a connection with customers and encourage them to leave feedback.

Discounts or rewards

Encouraging customers to leave reviews by offering incentives such as discounts or rewards is a great way to increase the number of reviews a business receives. Customers are more likely to take the time to leave a review if they are given an incentive for doing so.

For example, businesses can offer a discount on their next purchase or a free product or service to customers who leave a review. Additionally, businesses can create a rewards program where customers can earn points or badges for leaving reviews, which can then be redeemed for discounts or other rewards.

It's important to note that incentives should be offered in compliance with the guidelines and terms of service of the review site you're targeting, as some review sites prohibit offering incentives in exchange for reviews.

Offering incentives can be a great way to encourage customers to leave reviews and improve the reputation of the business. It shows that the business values and appreciates customer feedback and is willing to reward customers for their time and effort.

Social media

Using social media to promote your business and encourage customers to leave reviews is a great way to reach a large audience and increase the number of reviews a business receives. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, allow businesses to connect with customers and promote their products or services in a way that is both personal and interactive.

For example, businesses can use social media to share links to their review pages, such as Yelp or Google Reviews, and encourage customers to leave a review. Additionally, businesses can also share positive reviews that they have received on social media, which can encourage other customers to leave a review as well.

Businesses can also use social media to create a sense of community and engagement with their customers by responding to comments, messages and reviews, and by posting information about special offers, events, or promotions.

Using social media to promote your business and encourage customers to leave reviews is a great way to reach a large audience and improve the reputation of the business. It allows businesses to connect with customers on a personal level, and it can also increase the chances of getting more reviews, as it provides an easy and convenient way for customers to leave feedback.

Surveys

Surveys are an excellent way to gain local reviews from customers. Surveys allow businesses to gather detailed feedback from customers about their experience with the products or services offered by the business. This feedback can be used to improve the business and also to gather customer reviews.

Businesses can use surveys to ask customers about their experience with the products or services, the staff, and the overall customer service. They can also ask customers to rate their experience on a scale, such as 1-5 stars. This information can be used to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the business and make improvements.

Businesses can also use surveys to gather reviews by asking customers to leave a written review about their experience. This can be done in an open-ended format, where customers can write their own reviews, or in a closed format where customers can select from a set of predefined options or statements.

There are multiple ways to conduct surveys, such as in-store, online, or via email. Surveys can also be designed to be short and simple, to keep the customers engaged and to increase the chances of getting more reviews.

So, surveys are an excellent way to gain local reviews from customers. They allow businesses to gather detailed feedback and improve their products or services while also providing an easy way for customers to leave reviews. This approach can be used by businesses of all types, including online and brick-and-mortar stores.

Overall, local reviews can be a powerful tool for businesses to improve their reputation and attract more customers. By implementing these pointers, businesses can increase their chances of getting more local reviews and in turn, build trust with their audience.