Why does getting reviewed matter?
Many customers base their decisions on reviews
According to a 2021 survey conducted by bizrate insights, 91% of customers said they read reviews before deciding whether or not to purchase a product or service.
The survey also found that reviews are the most important deciding factor for potential customers, even beating out free shipping and loyalty programs.
Reviews are potential customers’ first impressions of your business.
Facebook reviews take the success of word-of-mouth marketing and expand it to an audience of 1.9 billion daily users. By getting reviewed, you can capture your customers’ loyalty before they even leave their house.
How do I open my business page up to reviews?
Open the door for consumers to write a review
The first step to getting Facebook reviews is to sign up for a Facebook account and create a business page. Hootsuite has a fantastic article on how to create a Facebook business page in seven easy steps.
Business pages default to having reviews turned on, which means that anyone can leave a recommendation. To see if you have reviews enabled, go to the reviews tab on your business page (just below your profile picture).
If you don’t see a reviews tab, go to the top of your page and click Settings. Next click Edit Page. In the Reviews section click Settings. Enable reviews, then click Save. If you ever want to hide your reviews, you can turn them off here, too.
How to leave a review on Facebook.
Did you know your audience can promote your business on Facebook?
A customer can write a Facebook review by visiting your business page and
- Clicking on the reviews tab.
- On the left side of the page, there is a box that asks ‘Do you recommend this business?’
- The customer can click yes or no.
- Next, they write a post giving feedback and recommendations
- Customers can also add a photo and relevant tags, such as ‘great service’ and ‘large menu.’
Once written, review posts will appear on the right side of your business’ review page. They will also be visible to the customer’s Facebook friends.
As your business page receives more reviews, you will get a star rating. This rating is out of 5 stars and is calculated based on how many recommendations are ‘yes’ and how many are ‘no.’
Future customers that are researching your business online will see these reviews and will be influenced by them. A great review goes a long way in growing your business!
How do I attract positive reviews?
Light up your Facebook page.
Now that you understand how Facebook’s review system works and how customers can go about sharing their personal experiences, you want to make sure you are taking full advantage of this feature.
According to Reputation Builder, customers who had a negative experience are two to three times more likely to write a review than customers who had a positive experience. This is often because when people are happy, they tend to go about enjoying the rest of the day. When they are unhappy, they want to bring others down, too.
So, what can you do to make sure that customers who had a positive experience are leaving reviews?
When you give a customer a positive experience, their first reaction isn’t going to be to log onto Facebook and submit a review. Some businesses leave a comment on the receipt, but those often go ignored.
The first step is asking.
Try giving out business cards with receipts that ask customers to leave a review on Facebook. With cards specifically designed to give instructions, your customers will be able to easily follow the steps to submit a review.
Have your staff ask verbally for a review while handing out cards, that way their kind words and smile can further sway a happy customer to return the favor.
Try a scannable QR code
For those of you who are tech-savvy, you can include a QR code on your card for customers to scan with their mobile device, which will instantly pull up your business page. Digitally Vibed offers a straightforward explanation of how to create a QR code. This will encourage younger customers to quickly log in and tell others of their great experience!
Asking nicely can go a long way toward making your customers aware that you want their feedback. Sometimes, that still isn’t enough. Get your customers excited to participate by offering prizes for reviews. They don’t have to break the bank, either. Even small prizes like a $5 or $10 coupon can go a long way to getting ratings.
Offer incentives that don’t violate Facebook’s review policy.
For example, at the end of each month, you could select a random review on your Facebook page and message the winner a coupon or voucher. Or, to reward your page’s more recent reviewers, consider only rewarding the prize to someone who posted a review in the last month.
Rewarding reviewers with prizes is not only a good way to incentivize your customers to leave you a rating, but you also get something exciting to post on your business page. What better way to show off new products and services than with a photo of an exciting giveaway? It’s advertising without paying for ads!
Now that you have a few jumping-off points, get creative and find out what motivates your satisfied patrons to recommend your business!
What do I do if I get a negative review?
1. Stay calm
No matter how hard you work to please your customers, you are bound to get a few negative reviews. Don’t fret over a few disgruntled responses. Sometimes, someone is just having a bad day and your online reputation becomes their punching bag.
Other times, you might be alerted to some aspect of your business that could genuinely benefit from improvement. Either way, the bad review is up. So, what do you do with it?
The first reaction of many business owners is to see if they can delete negative reviews from their Facebook page. That isn’t possible-without hiding all of your reviews-and even if it was, it wouldn’t be the best idea.
2. Take the good with the bad
A modest amount of negative reviews can actually help a business. Have you ever heard of a product or service that satisfied 100% of people 100% of the time? Me neither. Displaying a few dissatisfied comments actually builds trust with your social media audience. By seeing that you also get negative reviews, they can trust that the glowing, positive ones are true, too.
You can improve your brand image even more by responding to some of your disgruntled patrons. Some people just want to feel heard, and offering condolences and a promise to do better next time can win them over.
3. Take the high road
However, be sure to tread lightly. You may be able to defuse the situation if someone is upset about a delayed service, but some people are just out to complain. If you can tell that the conversation will at best go nowhere and at worse tempt you to unleash your less appealing side, just leave it alone.
A few negative reviews won’t ruin your business, especially if handled with care.
Be sure to keep encouraging your happy customers to voice their satisfaction, and your audience will mostly focus on the good stuff.
What happens next?
Share your good work.
Once you start getting reviews on Facebook, find ways to incorporate them into your other marketing.
Do you have a five-star rating? Let customers know with a sign in your window. Shoppers will be encouraged that other people have enjoyed your service.
Did Jeff, Bob, and Sally all say that your bacon cheeseburgers are to die for? Try promoting those.
Let the world know you’re improving
You can even learn from your negative reviews. Are visitors complaining about the poor lighting in your store? When you get it fixed, make a Facebook post about it.
Take the feedback in stride, and people will appreciate that you’re putting in the effort to make your business more appealing.
Increasing your reviews on Facebook can open a new world of community engagement, and when you manage that properly, it leads to more business.