10X Your reviews
Why you need people to review your business.
If you’re considering spending a decent amount of money, what’s the first thing you do? You go online and check the reviews section of that product or service. A lot of the time, we don’t want to be the first adopter and would rather have someone else test it.
If there are many positive reviews on a product or service, there is a strong possibility that you too will feel positive about the experience and buy. Now imagine someone is trying to decide whether or not to buy from your business. Are there enough reviews for your business that a prospective buyer would be able to make a confident buying decision?
Where should you gather reviews?
Depending on your target audience and where they spend most of their time, there are three key places to gather or showcase your reviews.
Google reviews
The reviews are highlighted directly under the business name alongside links to your website, directions and phone number. A massive bonus of getting Google reviews is that it will help improve search rankings. It will improve your SEO efforts and therefore put your front and centre in front of more eyes. If you want to learn more about SEO and why it’s important you can check out our blog!
Facebook is another great place to gather reviews. If your price point is a little higher and you're targeting customers that are middle-aged and upwards, this is where they will most likely find you. Positive reviews here will instil confidence in their desire to buy and increase the likelihood of contact.
Your website
This is the most important place to have high-quality reviews or testimonials. It’s the final place they look before purchase or enquiry, it’s the last hurdle and chance to get your prospective customer over the line. The icing on the cake here is that with all the social proof provided and a clear and easy-to-understand website, the sales process won’t require as much effort, saving you time and money.
When should you gather testimonials?
The simple answer is you should always be gathering reviews and testimonials. You should record video testimonials, before and after photos for those that feel comfortable doing it and then ask everybody to give you a Google and Facebook review. Remember, if you provide a great service that helps people, they will be more than happy to write you a glowing recommendation.
The 3 best ways to get reviews!
There are several ways to get your customers to review your awesome service.
Keep it simple- just ask!
When was the last time you asked a customer to review your service? Chances are it’s either been a long time or you have never actually asked. Let’s remedy that with the following conversation template.
“Hey [CUSTOMER NAME], it’s been so great seeing you achieve X and Y over the last 3 months!
I’ve been using you as an example for a number of our new clients as they’ve struggled with losing body fat previously too.
It got me thinking would you mind leaving a review of the gym?
I’ll text you the links to our socials now and if you want to copy and paste the review on more than one platform, I’d be so grateful!”
Most people are afraid to ask their customers for reviews in case they write something negative. In reality, however, your customers would be more than happy to write you a review if it helps you and your business. They appreciate you going above and beyond for them and just need you to ask so that they can help you in return.
Make it worth their while- review and reward
It does what it says on the tin, you ask for a review and you give them something in return. It has to be something worth their while so a lanyard isn’t going to cut it. Think about how much it would be worth to you from a marketing and sales perspective before deciding on the reward.
If the item you give out will double as marketing for your business and all the reviews will lower the barrier to entry when it comes to a sale, is it not worth more? On the other hand, if you wanted to keep it stupidly simple. You can offer cash as a reward, anywhere in the region of €5-10 for posting an honest review.
If you’ve 150 clients that leave you a review and you pay them €5 each, that’s €750 spent well. That’s a decent price for improved search engine optimization, professional credibility, increased trust with your audience and additional social media content/social proof.
Create a buzz- loyalty program
Imagine customers checking in to the gym location or posting on social media with links to your gym. All of their followers and friends have now seen your business and might just click through to see your socials or website. Now, what if you could incentivise them to do that and get them to write you a review in the same strategy? The “Loyalty Program” uses a simple loyalty card which gets stamped by staff when a customer shares your business online, writes you a review or refers a friend.
When somebody fills a card (i.e. 20 slots) they receive a specialized reward, something worth putting the effort in for (i.e. branded hoodie, cash etc). You can set your own parameters but the idea is they get X number of stamps for different actions.
For example:
- 15 for a referral that purchases
- 5 Stamps for a review
- 2 Stamps for the main page post
- 1 stamp for story post
As you can imagine, everyone wants to be a part of the club so a large uptake can be expected.
*Top tips for this strategy include using it for a defined period in the lead-up to summer or Christmas and if you decide on hoodies, do a bulk order at the end of the period rather than purchasing in anticipation.
Bonus point- Work it into your customer journey
Put a review/testimonial request in your customer journey.
Make it a non-negotiable that you’ve emailed them or asked them in person at some point along their journey where they will be most happy with your service.
For example, if they’ve just converted from a trial and are now becoming a full member, or they’ve simply been a member for three months and are always leaving your facility with a smile on their face. Even if you just wanted to include it in your email nurture sequence, asking is half the battle.
Some top tips before you go
Top tip for reducing friction with your ask:
- Include multiple options so that the customer can choose the platform they're most comfortable on
- Include a link directly to the page where they leave a review to minimize the number of clicks or steps they must take
- Give them a prompt so they're never at a loss for what to write (e.g. "Will you leave a review about your experience with your most recent store visit?")
Thank you for taking the time to read through this guide. We hope that it was helpful for you and your business. If you would like to stay in the loop simply fill out the form below to make sure you never miss any of our exclusive content!
