You have done a great job and deservedly received a 5-star rating – bravo! So, what next? How to respond to positive reviews? Should you say thank you and rest, or what? Wouldn’t that be too shallow and generic? How should you respond to positive reviews?
Over the years, we have handled various brands and businesses at B. McGuire Designs. In that time, we have realized that there is no one-fit-for-all way to respond to positive feedback. Even at that, we won’t advise you to reply to positive reviews with just a “thank you.” Why?
Reviews are tools to woo your prospects; prospective clients will undoubtedly check them. In fact, according to research, 87% of consumers will read reviews before deciding to contact or visit a business. And mind you, they won’t stop at just your clients’ words; they want to see how you react too – especially to positive reviews when you are not trying to defend yourself or your performance.
In a nutshell, do more than saying “thank you” with your replies. In particular, seize the opportunity that your positive reviews provide to turn your leads into sales. And, here is how:
Responding To Positive Reviews The Right Way
If you’re not getting any reviews from your customers at all, you might want to read this:
Real Reasons Why It Is Hard To Get Customer Reviews
Be Selective On Which Review Gets Your Response
You should respond to every review (it gets you noticed by Google) but some positive reviews could be handpicked for a robust, heart-felt response. In other words, prioritize long and in-depth feedback where the client extensively expressed his joy – derived from using your services.
If you have a lot of reviews, our Reputation Management solution makes it easy to respond to all your reviews in one place and even to use templated review responses. Save those detailed responses for the really special positive reviews.
Start With Appreciation
Once you highlight the response-deserving, positive reviews, start your responses with a point of appreciation. In simple terms, thank your client for their trust – briefly at the start of your reply. But don’t stop there; show appreciation too towards the end of your response.
Personalize Your Response To The Client
After your appreciation, ensure you address the client personally; don’t repeat generic responses. And, ensure that you add the name of the said client in your response – unless you don’t know it!
Most importantly, make your response all about your client – you can even add humorous side notes that are unique to just you two. Overall, be as friendly and human as possible.
Pro tip: you can upsell your business with a keyword-optimized response. However, ensure you don’t overstuff it.
Always Treat Any Point Your Clients Mentioned In Their Review
The chances are that your client will mention one of your services in their review. When they do, seize the opportunity to promote such service subtly. However, ensure you keep the upselling as natural as possible.
If your client mentioned your courtesy instead of a service, use that quality to upsell your entire business. But remember that subtlety is the goal!
Round Up Your Response With Appetizers
This part is mainly for the on-the-fence prospects – offer them an appetizer through your response. The appetizer could be a free product or discount. Whichever option you choose, add it to your reply and seal it with thanks.
Note: be consistent with your appetizers. If you are using a promo code, test it before announcing it.
That said, let’s put the listed tips into practice!
A Practical Example On How To Respond To Positive Reviews
Hi Kelly,
We appreciate your feedback! More importantly, we are glad our website design service did wonders for your wedding site!
To further appreciate your loyalty as a client, we’d love to inform you of our current promo: a free month of website maintenance for each new client referred. If you’re interested, drop a message, and we’ll let you know how to claim it.
Thanks for being an exceptional customer!
So, what do you think? Isn’t that example better than a generic thank you? We think it is!
If you need further help with handling reviews check out Reputation Management.
