How to Ask for Reviews on Facebook and Other Platforms

Like it or not, businesses live and die by review rankings. Perhaps the only thing worse than bad review ratings is no reviews at all. 

According to research conducted by BrightLocal, 85% of people trust online reviews as a valuable source. Positive reviews on Facebook can be a gateway to more traffic on your company’s site.

According to a study of 2,000 online shoppers, 49% checked Facebook for local businesses’ online reviews.  If you’re looking for a way how to ask for reviews on Facebook, stick around. 

Here are our top 5 ways to garner more reviews on social media platforms. 

1. Customers Like to Review; Just Ask

Do customers actually like to review?

According to the same BrightLocal study, of the 74% of customers who were asked to leave a review, 68% agreed. Short answer: YES. 

There are several ways to ask for reviews on Facebook and other social media platforms. 

One to One

Asking for a review from a valued customer could be the easiest way to get a review. 

This is for several reasons: 

• They’ll feel valued as a customer
• You know their thoughts on the company
• You’ve built a trusted relationship

Your first reviews on Facebook must be positive. Five-star reviews are a trust badge for new customers. Ask your most valued customers first.  

Send Email Requests

You may be surprised by what an email campaign asking for reviews can achieve. 

Here are some things to keep in mind: 

• Keep it simple
• Keep it short
• Provide links

Something as simple as “Like our products? Leave a review!” could do the trick.

You want to make it simple for your customers to review. The easiest way is to provide links to social media platforms where you want reviews.

If you’re concerned about it feeling cold, reach out to a small group with personal emails.

Once you have some reviews, it will be easier to figure out how to get more reviews with a less personal batch email campaign. 

Ask Customers Who Like Your Page

When customers like your page, send them a Facebook message thanking them for the like. Finish up your message with a call-to-action providing a link to where they can leave a review on Facebook. 

Doing this accomplishes two things: 

• It shows you value them as a customer
• It starts to build and nurture your relationship

Don’t be afraid to ask! 

2. Offer Incentives

New businesses can have a hard time acquiring reviews. 

This could be for several reasons: 

• You haven’t established your online presence
• You have a limited number of customers

One way to fix these problems is with an incentive. Local businesses thrive on foot traffic and qualified leads.

Incentives can increase opportunities for customer reviews. 

Here are some incentive ideas: 

• Coupon code offering 15% off for a review on social media
• Online gift card for a review on Facebook
• A special gift for reviewers on specific social media platforms  

These incentives can be provided to customers when they purchase a product in your physical store. Placing an incentive in an email campaign is a great way to make a bulk email feel personal.

Incentives can be used on a rotating basis, or in an autoresponder sequence. This would put your review gathering on autopilot, so you can focus on other things.

Attaching a call-to-action to an incentive can help you acquire more reviews.

3. Promote Reviews You Already Have

Got some great reviews and testimonials on your site? Promote them on Facebook and other social media platforms. 

When you promote a customer’s review it may spark other customers to review. Attach the Facebook post with an incentive for a double whammy effect! 

This could also be used in emails to give customers some ideas of what others are saying. 

Promoting customer reviews through social media accomplishes a few things: 

• Helps establish brand awareness 
• Adds social proof to your business
• Provides value to already loyal customers
• Nurtures a relationship with the original customer

By supporting your customer’s reviews, you value their support and vice-versa. 

It also makes good sense to reach out to the reviewer and provide some special gift for being a valued customer. 

4. Add a Call to Action on Your Site

When customers find you on social media, they may end up on your site. Many sites now offer widgets or plugins to help promote your social media site. Use one of these widgets to encourage customers to leave a review on social media. 

This makes it easy for customers to: 

• Leave a review
• Like your page on Facebook
• Share your content from different social media platforms

This builds trust, online engagement, and adds to your brand awareness. 

5. Make Sure Your Review Tab Is Visible

Are you losing out on reviews? 

If you search for businesses on Facebook, you may notice there isn’t a feature to leave a review. This means that the business doesn’t have this feature activated. 

Many businesses don’t even realize they are missing out on this feature. 

To activate reviews: 

• Go to Settings.
• Go to General > Reviews and turn on the feature. 

This will make your review score visible and alert customers that they can leave a review. The next thing to do is to reply to all reviews. 

Customers see it as a sign of engagement and are likely to add a review. 

Why should you post reviews on Facebook?

• Reviews drive traffic
• Reviews can boost your Google score
• Reviews can help increase organic traffic

What about negative reviews? 

According to one study, 72% of online shoppers trust companies more if they have negative reviews. 

Know Your Limitations

Did you know that some social media platforms have stipulations on acquiring reviews? It’s crucial to know what you can and can’t do to receive reviews. We’ve got you covered. 

In this informational guide, these best practices will help you get started. 

How to Ask For Reviews on Facebook

We hope this helped answer some of your questions about how to ask for reviews on Facebook and other social media platforms. 

For more information on this topic and more, visit our site frequently.