How to Get Great Reviews from Happy Clients for Your Pet Business
If you’re looking to set your pet business apart from the crowd, great reviews are one of the best things you can have.
According to a survey from Brightlocal, 77% of consumers regularly check online reviews before deciding to purchase from a local business, and a whopping 99% of consumers have used the internet at least once in the last year to find out information about a business.
Your potential customers are very likely researching online before they decide to book a service with you. Having great reviews builds social proof for your business and lends credibility that can make all the difference for your target customers.
Read on to learn 8 helpful strategies to get your happy customers to leave glowing reviews.
1. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for a Review
The best way for you to get a great review is to ask for one—it can really be that simple. Include a call-to-action on every communication that you have with your customers to encourage them to leave a review.
Email your customers after they make a purchase and include a link to quickly leave a review. Regularly ask for reviews on your social media accounts, and if you have an in-person store, include a card with instructions on how to leave a review with every purchase.
Your customers are far more likely to leave a review if you directly ask them to instead of waiting for them to be inspired.
2. Set Up Email Automation for Client Reviews
Email automation can make asking for reviews a hands-off process. Depending on the email marketing software you use, you can set up simple funnels that lead to a call-to-action for reviews, depending on what the customer purchased.
With automation, you can create a templated email that gets automatically sent to a customer after they make a purchase, or after you’ve completed a service for them. You can also schedule the emails to send at a certain time.
You can also schedule the email to follow up with the customer after a pre-determined amount of time has passed. This is also a great way to improve your customer’s experience and make them feel appreciated.
3. Make Leaving a Review as Easy as Possible
When it comes to leaving a review, you want there to be as few steps involved in the process as possible. If you prefer that they leave you a review on a platform like Google or Yelp, link them directly to the website, so that they can quickly and easily write the review and submit it.
If you prefer that they leave you a review on your own website, make sure the process is streamlined, and ask for very little information from the customer. A name (which can be optional) and their review should suffice.
The more steps you add to the process, the more likely a customer will click out before completing the review.
4. Make Yourself Easily Accessible Via Social Media
While many people like to leave reviews on Google or your website, social media platforms, like Facebook, are also popular for word-of-mouth referrals and reviews. Make sure that all of your social media handles are cohesive, match the name of your business, and are branded the same way.
While social media may not be your choice for marketing, it’s still important to have a presence on at least one or two platforms. If someone tags you in a review or recommendation, always respond to it as quickly as possible.
5. Display Your Reviews Prominently
If you already have a few great reviews, make sure they’re clearly visible on your website, as well as on your social media platforms.
Seeing that other people have left you a great review can inspire a customer to leave you a review, without you even asking.
6. Engage with Your Current Reviews
89% of consumers, according to that same Brightlocal survey, said they were likely to use a business that responds to all of its online reviews. Responding to your reviews makes you a more credible, trustworthy business, especially if you also respond to any negative reviews that you receive.
Consumers like active businesses that are open to feedback and willing to have discussions and listen to their customers. Seeing you openly respond to other reviews may encourage more people to leave their feedback because they know you’ll be receptive to it.
7. Offer an Incentive
While reviews that were left without any prompting may feel great, sometimes customers need a little incentive to take action.
There are a variety of incentives you can offer those that leave you a review:
- You can hold a contest or giveaway where every time someone writes you a great review, you enter them for a chance to win a prize.
- You can also offer a discount code to customers who leave a positive review. Getting 10-15% off their next service with you is a great motivator to take the initiative and leave a review.
- When a customer provides you with a review, backlink to their website and tag them on social media. Your customers will love the attention and free publicity for their businesses!
8. Give Them Something Worth Raving About
The most effective way to get great reviews is to give your customers a high-quality product or service that’s worthy of a great review.
Think of ways that you can go above and beyond for your customers, whether that’s throwing in a free surprise gift with their order, or handwriting a personalized thank you note. Even small things, like keeping track of their pet’s birthday, can go a long way towards making your customer feel appreciated.
If your services are top notch, and your customer experience is even better, people will want to leave a review, just so they can rave about their fantastic experience.
How Will You Get Your Next Great Review?
There are many great strategies to try, but it’s important to figure out what works best for your business. Don’t be afraid to try a few different strategies until you find the one or two that feel right for you.
