As part of your insurance marketing strategy and online reputation management, generating and encouraging online reviews is essential.
Online review statistics have shown over 54 percent of online shoppers read at least four product reviews before purchasing a product.
Having a substantial number of positive reviews is crucial for adding credibility to your agency’s reputation. On the other hand, negative reviews can also help you determine any unmet needs of your customers and understand how you can improve your business.
Let’s take a look at a few strategies you can use to boost your online insurance reviews!
1. Make Sure Your Agency is on the Same Sites as Your Customers
Before you start asking for reviews, make sure your agency is accessible and can be easily found on the internet. If your insurance agency isn’t already, it should be listed on the three most popular review sites: Google Business Profile, Yelp and Facebook. Not only are these sites helpful for gathering reviews, but they’re also an excellent tool for interacting with your customers and addressing any negative customer experiences.
2. Request Reviews Through Emails
Sending an email right after a positive in-person meeting or phone call is an easy method for generating a positive review. When emailing your customers, make sure you thank them for their time and trusting your agency with their insurance needs, and include a link to anywhere they can post their review, like Yelp or your Google Business Profile.
You should also have a “call to action” subject line to get their attention. Here are some potential subject lines you can use:
How did we do?
Let us know how [Agency Name] was able to help you!
Send in your feedback!
We’d love to hear your thoughts!
3. Send a Review Link Through Text Message
Texting a customer you’ve had a long-established relationship with is a simple and fast way to entice people to leave a review. According to a 2019 survey, about 54 percent of consumers said they would prefer to communicate with businesses through text messaging. Another benefit is people are typically faster at responding to text messages. On average, people respond to a text message within 90 seconds, while emails might not even be opened until 90 minutes later.
Like an email, your message should thank your customer for being a part of your agency and include a short link to a mobile-friendly website where they can leave a review.
4. Encourage Customers to Leave a Review Via Mail
If you plan on sending any of your customers a letter or a gift for any special occasion, ask them for a review. Postcards are also a great way to elicit reviews from your customers, especially around the holidays!
5. Utilize Social Media
Whether your agency is on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, it doesn’t hurt to make social media posts that encourage your customers to provide feedback. Your posts should have a call to action and a link to somewhere they can leave a review.
When you do receive positive reviews, consider sharing them on your social media feed. You can do this by sharing their review verbatim, posting a screenshot or adding a link to the source of the review. If you have a close relationship with a happy customer, you can always ask them for permission to make things more personal by including a photo of them with their name.
Doing this is an insightful way to show your audience how satisfied people are with your agency and can inspire other customers to provide feedback.
6. Reward Customers Who Leave Reviews
Generally speaking, people are more likely to do something nice for you if they’ll receive something in return. For example, there are a number of simple gifts you can reward your customers with after they leave a review, including gift cards for coffee, gas, or Amazon.
Another way you can do this is through a competition! For example, you can use a name picker website or draw a name out of a hat to randomly choose a winner.
Need Help Managing your Online Reputation?
We understand it takes a lot of effort to manage your online reputation. Thankfully Melon Local is here to help with your online reputation management and can assist you with generating reviews and responding to both positive and negative feedback.
Learn more about how Melon Local can help with your insurance marketing needs by scheduling a demo today!