Allow Cyber Monday to give your business a boost by using it to collect even more 5-star reviews.
There is no debating that Cyber Monday is essential to the holiday season. Your Cyber Monday sale affects how you close out your year in a big way. What’s up for debate is how to go about your sale so that it has lasting positive effects.
Reviews are one thing that can give your Cyber Monday sale a boost and help you capitalize on its potential. Having a ton of fresh and happy reviews in time for the holidays can do wonders for your Q4 sales. So here are 5 great ways to get some stellar 5-star reviews on and after Cyber Monday.
1. Tap Into Your Existing Customer Base
Optimize the relationship with customers who have bought from you before. That’s business you’re more likely to get. Plus, if they already love you, they are already primed to leave you a great review when asked!
65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers.
–Fundera
You’re leaving great reviews on the table if you’re not giving special attention to return customers. Email your list about your deals before anyone else. Send an exclusive discount code to loyalty card holders. Make them feel like VIPs.
Everyone loves feeling special, especially on a stressful day like Cyber Monday. Earn that repeat business by treating your loyal customers like the stars they are. Then, swoop in and ask for a testimonial after they buy. Loyal customers leave great reviews.
2. Create Smooth Opportunities for Feedback
Reviews and testimonials are gifts that our customers give back to us. It’s rare that a customer will spend a ton of time or effort leaving a positive review for you. In fact, the more difficult it is for a user to leave a review, the more likely they will skip it.
On Cyber Monday, you want to make sure that your process for leaving a review is smooth and frictionless. You can do this in a few ways.
- Include a link to leave a review with their emailed receipt. Sending a separate email asking for a review, a day or two later, is great too! Try this drip campaign template if you’re not sure where to start.
- Make sure you make it easy to find where to leave a review on your social media profiles. Share existing reviews to encourage new ones.
- There should be easy to find links on your website that take the user to a place to leave a review. Include a link to your review submission form in as many places as possible. But don’t be annoying! Since Cyber Monday is an online event, make your online presence clear and easy to navigate.
- Don’t ask for too much information from reviewers. Consider an anonymous option in case they don’t want their face and name plastered on your website.
- Describe in your request what kind of things you’re looking to hear from in your review. Some people find it hard to leave a review if they don’t know what to say. Provide a suggestion so customers can feel more confident when providing feedback. Ask about the quality of the product, the shipping experience, customer service, etc. This is a good way to prime customers to use keywords.
Make sure that the user doesn’t have to go hunting for how or where to leave a review. The fewer steps the customer has to take, the more likely they will be to leave one.
3. Have a System for Responding to Reviews
A good review should be like a high-five. It only makes an impact if both parties reach out and meet in the middle. It’s great to receive reviews from happy customers. But those customers should understand how grateful you are to receive that feedback.
You need someone on your team who monitors and replies to new reviews. Don’t respond to each review with the same stale template, either. Instead, personalize the responses as much as you can. We mentioned in the past that replying to more than 20% of reviews earns businesses 33% more revenue. It’s true.
At the same time, if you receive a negative review during Cyber Monday, it’s worth addressing quickly and gracefully. You don’t need to delete or hide every single negative review you get. Bad reviews can be a good thing.
People like to see that you own up to mistakes and make an effort to make things right with unhappy customers. It may seem counter intuitive, but displaying a 1-star review with a great reply can lead to more happy customers overall.
Think about businesses or stores you frequent. Doesn’t it make your experience better when that business makes you feel special and valued? Online interactions should be the same. Treat each review as a unique interaction. When future customers look at your reviews, they should see a personalized focus.
4. Up Your Social Media Game
Social proof happens on social media in a big way. Sure, we go to search engines to find deals and places to shop. But social media plays an enormous role, too. It’s where customers find you through word-of-mouth. If their friends interact with you already, they are more likely to do so as well.
A 2018 study by Hootsuite tested the SEO results of articles with and without social promotion. Their results? Pieces with top social shares received an average 22% boost during the duration of the experiment.
A weak social media presence makes it less likely that people will interact with your brand. People also love to see their own reviews shared online on social media. Who doesn’t love a shout-out?
A strong social media presence encourages people to engage with you. That engagement brings you much closer to earning more 5-star reviews.
5. Optimize Your Website
On Cyber Monday, your site is the powerhouse for your sale. It seems like a redundant statement, but your website can only earn you 5-star reviews if it’s optimized to do so. Strategically choose where you feature your published reviews and how you ask for new reviews.
If your goal is to get more 5-star reviews, put reviews on your site to boost credibility and social proof. Show your customers that you value feedback. It encourages them to leave their own.
Create a clear area to leave a review. This removes any friction. Consider adding a form or link to leave a review in more than one place. Ask yourself which of these places would work for your current site layout:
- Homepage
- Services/Products page
- About Us page
- Reviews page
- Sidebar
- Footer
- Pop Up
The website experience needs to be smooth. The site should be fast and easy to navigate. If it’s a pain to use your site, why would someone come back to it and leave a review, even if they did like your product?
You don’t want to end up like this winery.
Prepare Yourself for Cyber Monday Before Black Friday
Using your reviews to grow your business and increase revenue takes work. It requires you to be intentional and strategic. Cyber Monday is one of the best times of the entire year to hone in on that strategy.
There are so many opportunities to earn great reviews. Your existing customer base is low-hanging fruit for great post-buy reviews. Creating a system for asking for, receiving, and replying to reviews is key. And your social profiles and website is where it all takes place. Hitting those key points mean a waterfall of 5-star reviews after Cyber Monday. But, you have to get ready in advance. Check your site before Black Friday.
For the holiday season and beyond, make sure you have a solid review strategy.
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