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"No amount of advertising, tweeting or direct mailing can impact customers the way an objective peer review can. That\u2019s because in the era of social media and online reviews, it\u2019s not what you say about your business that matters; it\u2019s what others say about you. \nAccording to a survey conducted by Dimensional Research and sponsored by Zendesk, 90% of respondents said that positive online reviews influenced their buying decisions, and 86% said their buying decisions were influenced by negative reviews.\nSee also: 5 Tips to Jumpstart Your Creativity\nWhile online reviews are a precious commodity for any business, soliciting reviews from customers can be a delicate courtship. In many cases, the biggest obstacle that small businesses have with online reviews isn\u2019t getting negative ones \u2014 it\u2019s getting them at all. Many small business owners can be skittish about asking customers for reviews, worrying that they\u2019ll annoy and turn off a once happy customer.   \nHowever, if the success of your business truly hinges on online reviews, encouraging reviews is a skill you\u2019ll need to master. Here are seven tips to help you overcome the awkwardness and encourage customers to leave reviews.\n1. Make writing a review as easy as possible.\nThe average customer is not going to search for ways to leave your company a review (unless they have a negative experience to share). That\u2019s why you need to make it as easy as possible for customers to offer a review. Put direct links to your review profiles in multiple places, for example, a thank you or follow-up email. \n2. Be present on multiple review sites.\nEveryone has his or her own preferred review site \u2014 maybe it\u2019s where your customers researched your business in the first place. Having a presence on every review site (or every review site that makes sense for your business) can make the process more seamless and comfortable for your customers. For example, there\u2019s Yelp, Angie\u2019s List, Google Local, Yahoo Local, LinkedIn, TrustLink and many more. \nAsk customers to leave a review on their favorite site \u2014 never pressure them to write reviews on multiple sites. And be careful about pushing customers to write a review on a brand new site. For example, if a non-Yelper feels compelled to create a Yelp profile to give you a review, Yelp\u2019s spam filters will most likely flag their review and all that hard work will disappear into thin air. \n3. Be candid.\nIf you feel shy about asking for a review directly, don\u2019t. It\u2019s a part of doing business these days. You can help your case and foster goodwill by being as candid and open as possible with your customers.\nYou can say something as simple as, \u201CYour opinion matters to us and to other customers, so we\u2019d be really appreciative if you take a few moments to review your experience,\u201D or \u201CDo you read online reviews? We do, and so do other customers. That\u2019s why we\u2019d love it if you take a few moments to review your experience.\u201D  \n4. Tread the incentives line carefully.\nMany argue that offering any kind of incentive for reviews corrupts the process and should be avoided at all costs. However, I appreciate the fact that anyone writing a review is taking time out of their busy schedule to benefit the overall community. Offering a small incentive (such as 20% off discount) can be a good way to show your appreciation and encourage customers to take the time to write a few words. You just need to make sure your offer is for writing a review, not just for writing a good review. \nYou can also surprise reviewers by sending them a discount code or other offer after they\u2019ve posted a review. That way, you know your incentive didn\u2019t affect their decision to write a review, but you still get to give a small token of appreciation for their efforts. \nSee also: 10 Creative Social Media Resumes To Learn From\n5. Consider your demographics.\nIf your customers are Millennials, they\u2019re already accustomed to sharing every experience online and will most likely share their thoughts without much prompting. Bombarding customers under the age of 30 with requests to post a review will probably turn them off.\nHowever, if you have older or less social media savvy customers, they may need a little more prompting or hand-holding. \n6. Turn reviewers into brand ambassadors.\nWhile a positive review is great for your business, the real value lies in the reviewer. Think about it. That person took the time to describe and share the great experience they had with your business.\nThink about how you can further leverage this relationship. For example, you can produce video testimonials from your top customers to post on your website. Nothing tells a story better than well-produced, sincere video clips from real people. \n7. Don\u2019t ignore the negative reviews.\nWhile your goal is to solicit good reviews, you\u2019ll most likely encounter a bad review or two. Bad reviews aren\u2019t always a business-killer, but how you handle a negative situation can be. Listen to and address the negative reviews; you may have a chance to turn an unhappy customer into a brand advocate.\nAt the end of the day, the best path to having great reviews is to offer a great product and customer experience. If you\u2019re doing all you can to create a remarkable experience for your customers, there\u2019s no reason not to remind them about the importance of sharing reviews.\nImage: Mashable composite; iStockphoto, patronauta"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/08/07/customer-reviews/>