10 Tips for Encouraging Your Customers to Post More Online Reviews

What can I do to encourage more customers to post online reviews for my company on sites from Yelp to LinkedIn?

1. Send a Personal Note or Call Them

Take the opportunity to email or contact your customers to check in on them. Ask them if they are still happy with your product or service. If they are, invite them to post a review, and share how much that would mean to you and the business. If they are not happy, take the opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. The customer will likely appreciate this and leave a review.
– Andrew Thomas, SkyBell Technologies, Inc.

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2. Make It Easy

Make it as easy as possible. Send your customers an email with a link that will take them directly to a site to provide a review. Keep the email short and to the point. Be personable, and let them know how important reviews are for your business.
– Will Land, Accessory Export, LLC

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3. Write a How-To Guide and Provide Examples

First, write a how-to guide on writing reviews, and share it with your most loyal fans and customers. Customize the guide for each review website (Yelp, Citysearch, LinkedIn, etc.). Second, formally ask to your target customers, and provide examples of the types of reviews you are looking for. Follow up with your fans until they write the review or decline. Rinse and repeat.
– Kristopher Jones, ReferLocal.com

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4. Create a Climate of Caring

By consistently responding to customers on sites like LinkedIn, you create a climate where the customers see that you care, respond and deal with real issues openly. When they see that you do this (in replies to other reviews), they will understand that you actually care about the feedback. Then, when it comes time to express their opinion, they will go to where they know they will be heard.
– Brennan White, Watchtower

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5. Show Your Appreciation

An approach that has worked well for me is to make personal phone calls to customers. Tell them how much you appreciate them, their support and their business. Explain how important online reviews are and how you would be honored for them to share their experiences for the world to see online. Be sincere, be appreciative, and just ask.
– Matt Shoup, MattShoup.com

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6. Offer an Incentive

Whether it’s a discount on their next purchase or entry into a prize giveaway, offer an incentive for providing a review, and if possible, provide everything they need to do to make it as easy as possible, whether it’s a link to Yelp on your “shopping cart” page or an iPad at your checkout counter.
– Alexis Wolfer, The Beauty Bean

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7. Leverage Social Media

If someone likes you on Facebook, follows you on Twitter or subscribes to your email list, he probably likes your company. Be honest about why reviews affect your business, and ask customers through those channels. We find that one-third of positive Twitter mentions outreach the results of positive Yelp reviews. And, of course, link to those accounts in all your communications and on your blog.
– Trevor Sumner, LocalVox

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8. Follow Up After an Order

Email customers 10 to 14 days after their order, and request a review. You’ll be surprised by how many customers are willing to write about their experience if you simply ask them.
– Josh Weiss, Bluegala

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9. Tell Them It’s a Priority

Let your customers know that you value their input. Oftentimes, they want to leave good feedback but don’t bother to do it since they question whether it is really worth it. Let your customers know that their feedback is a top priority.
– Michael Quinn, Yellow Bridge Interactive

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10. Offer a Gift Card in Return

Ask for a review in return for a $5 Starbucks gift card. This tactic works great, and it’s easy to send one via email through the Starbucks website.
– Rishi Shah, Digioh