Timing is Everything: When to Ask for a Review or Testimonial
Timing is everything, especially when asking for customer reviews and testimonials. Knowing how and when to ask customers to review your business will help it rank higher in search results, generate more feedback, and improve its online reputation. According to research.com, having 50 or more reviews boosts your search rank by 50%, and it improves your click-through rate by 266%, compared to companies with no reviews.
Did you know that most of the customers who have had a positive experience with a brand don’t share their experience publicly? These are considered the “silent advocates” because they feel good about a company and its products or service, but they don’t spread the word or write online reviews about the company.
Unfortunately for brands, customers who have negative experiences are more likely to share their experiences and leave online reviews. This is a huge issue for many businesses, but luckily you can remedy this by asking every customer to leave their review. In fact, research shows that 77% of customers are ready to leave a review if asked.
Optimizing Review Collection Conversion
The most important factors to consider when asking your customers to review your business are timing and the review journey – both of which significantly affect the conversion rate.
Most businesses make the mistake of inviting customers to leave reviews too early. Customers are more likely to leave a review when they’re in an informed position. The right time to ask for reviews varies from business to business. For some types of business, it’s wise to ask for a review immediately after the purchase using forms on the order confirmation page or via an in-store review collection system after they buy in a physical store. Alternatively, you can send out review invitation posts via email after a week or a month, depending on the type of review – i.e., product or merchant.
The Best Time to Ask Customers to Leave Reviews
As mentioned, no two businesses are the same. So the best time to ask for customer reviews varies. However, the core of the best timing is to ask for reviews when the customer is happy, impressed, content, surprised, or delighted enough to say something great about your brand.
Here are the four best times when your customers are feeling positive enough that you should ask them to review your business!
1. When They Tell You about a Great Experience
Usually, only a few customers share the positive experience they’ve had with your business, compared to those who are likely to leave a review if they had a negative experience. So, if a customer reaches out to you with a positive comment, this is the time to ask for a review!
That customer has made some “effort.” Thus, if a customer emails with a positive comment about their experience, don’t just leave a “thank you” response. Ask them politely if they’d mind leaving an honest review on your website (or whatever platform for reviews you are using). The chance of getting a positive response at this point is much higher than sending mass emails to your customers.
2. When They Tag You on Social Media
Today, most consumers use social media to get their issues addressed quickly. If you handle customer queries on social media, you can use that opportunity to ask them to review you. For instance, if a customer tags your brand or your products on social media, use that opportunity to pitch for a review.
Also, post regularly and ask your followers to leave some feedback. This will help you get real customer feedback which will help your brand. Plus, you’ll get great, positive reviews that you can display on your website.
3. After They’ve Made a Purchase
When a customer makes a purchase, they go through a psychological process where they need to justify what they bought. They need to feel that they’ve made the right choice. So, if you reach out to a customer immediately after they have made a purchase, you’re more likely to get a positive review.
It may seem odd to ask for reviews immediately after a customer has made a purchase, but the customer is more likely to share their experience if you do. Also, the customer will give their review more enthusiastically because they’re near the peak of their satisfaction, which is within a week of purchase.
4. Right When They Receive Your Product
Remember the last time you got something you ordered online? How was the excitement when opening the package? It was great to have the product in your hand, right? Most consumers are delighted to get what they ordered online. The whole experience is positive. So, it’s a great idea to slip in a review invitation in the package or instruct them to where they may leave a review online. It’s also common to find a review form or request on the product page.
However, if you send in a review invitation form along with the package, be creative. A beautifully designed card with a hand-written note will grab your customer’s attention, and it will boost the chances of getting an honest review.
Final Thoughts
It’s time to put your ideas into action. Test which of the four times fits your customer base best. Once you find the best time to ask your customers for reviews, don’t stop there! Publish those reviews on your website, social media, shop, and product listings.
