Strategies for Getting More Online Reviews for Your Brand

Having a strong brand reputation is critical to business success. Individuals today are much more careful about who they deal with. Because of this, they often perform extensive research on the different products or services they’re interested in before making a purchase decision.

Online customer reviews are often the most trusted source of information potential customers come across and play a major factor in their decision-making. This is because they provide a more personal perspective of what to expect when purchasing products from a business.

As a brand, developing a more positive online reputation with the help of these reviews can significantly increase brand visibility and credibility in the market. Still, while many businesses recognize the importance of online reviews, motivating customers to share their experiences can be challenging.

Thankfully, there are effective strategies you can use to help incentivize customers to provide more of their feedback to others.

Provide Recurring Purchase Discounts

A popular strategy many businesses use to encourage more online reviews is to offer customers a discount or promotion on their subsequent purchases. This approach increases the number of reviews received and helps encourage repeat business and contributes to more sustainable revenue streams.

Businesses have various options to choose from when using this tactic. Discounts could be percentage-based on an entire future order, a fixed amount off of certain products or services, or using other incentives like offering free shipping. Another effective method is providing a gift card sent by email after a customer completes a purchase.

Create a Branded Giveaway

Injecting an element of fun into your online review strategy can be a great way to get more engagement from customers. You can do this by hosting a contest or giveaway. This captures more customer interest and generates a bit of buzz around your brand online.

To maximize engagement levels, consider promoting your contest across different channels. You can leverage the power of social media, feature it prominently on your website, and include details in your email marketing campaigns.

Make sure the context rules are clearly outlined so participants understand the eligibility requirements. This transparency creates more trust and encourages more people to join the fun.

Design a Customer Loyalty Program (CLP)

Implementing a customer loyalty program (CLP) is a great strategy to help you develop a deeper connection with your customers while gathering valuable feedback on your brand.

By offering incentives that can be redeemed later on, businesses can encourage repeat purchases and motivate their customers to share their opinions. You can allow points earned to be exchanged for different perks, including discounts on products or services or customizable gift cards.

A loyalty program strengthens your customer relationships and creates differentiation between your brand and others. It provides individuals with added value beyond their initial purchases and can be a great way to create more brand advocates.

Simplify Your Reviews

One of the biggest hurdles to gathering customer reviews is a confusing or time-consuming process. While many customers may be happy to share their thoughts, having a complicated feedback process can lead to a significant amount of abandoned surveys.

It’s important to evaluate your current feedback system and identify areas for improvement. Make sure you provide clear instructions on how to leave feedback, including direct links to common review sites.

Not everyone likes to write detailed reviews. This is why you should offer different options for how feedback is received—either using a simple rating scale or allowing for customer comments.

Answer Positive and Negative Reviews

Customer feedback, whether on your website or an external platform, is a valuable opportunity for connecting with your audience. It’s essential to prioritize fast responses to all reviews, regardless of whether the customer was satisfied with their experience or not.

It can be tempting to want to focus only on the positive feedback while ignoring individuals who are expressing their displeasure. However, avoiding your negative reviews altogether sends the wrong message. Customers need to see that you value their input and are committed to making things right.

Use Customer Feedback as Social Proof

As your business grows, you’ll likely see an increase in the customer feedback you receive. It’s incredibly beneficial to your business to showcase the positive comments you receive since they can be powerful testimonials that can help sway potential buyers. Sharing their experiences can create a snowball effect, reminding other customers to leave their feedback.

A great starting point for doing this is to create a dedicated page on your website where testimonials live. You can also weave customer quotes into your product descriptions or request permission to share their experiences on social media platforms.

Develop Partnerships with Brand Influencers

Working with social media influencers can be another great way to showcase your offerings. These individuals have built large, dedicated audiences who trust their opinions and recommendations. When an influencer features your product or service, it can be a significant endorsement for your brand.

When looking for influencers, shortlist those who align with your brand and target audience. You can offer them unique opportunities, including early access to new releases, invitations to special events, or the chance to collaborate on exclusive content.

Another good tactic is to provide influencers with unique discount codes to share with their followers. This makes them more likely to promote your organization and the loyalty programs you offer.

Start Increasing Your Online Reviews

To leverage the power of social proof, your business must take the time to understand what motivates your customers. By following the strategies discussed, you’ll make it more likely that you will receive more feedback on your brand that you can leverage to increase your visibility online and bring in more customers.

Author Name: Cindy Mielke

Author bio: Cindy is passionate about the incentive industry. In addition to her role as Vice President of Strategic Partners here at Tango, she is a Certified Professional in Incentive Management who proudly serves on two industry boards.

When she’s not working, Cindy enjoys spending time with her family—including three cats, two dogs, and a horse—and sharing her love of nature as a Nebraska Master Naturalist.

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