Quick Info:
| Why care? | Taking 10 minutes to set up an automation that could save you hours & make you money is worth caring about! |
| Cost: | Part of your monthly ESP cost |
| Who should do this: | All businesses that sell online |
| Platform: | Email Service Provider (ESP) ex: MailChimp |
| How? | Read on… |
Do you want your past customers to help you sell your products/services to new people?
That’s the power of getting positive reviews. Your customers can actually become brand advocates that help you reach even more customers.
But there’s one thing standing in your way…
You haven’t asked them to leave you a review.
Look, I get it. Manually requesting reviews is majorly time-consuming if you have to remember who has purchased your products, draft personalized emails, and send them out individually!
It’s on your to do list, but it always seems to get pushed down for more pressing things.
Not anymore! Let’s automate that sh!t so you never have to guilt yourself to send another review request email ever again! 💥
Why is gathering reviews so crucial for your business growth and success?
Before we go straight to the automation piece, let’s just remind ourselves why this is so important:
Humans look to one another for social validation when we’re making decisions. So if someone we know and trust likes a particular brand, we’re more likely to develop a liking and a trust in the same brands, because of this subconscious social agreement.
For your brand, this means you can decrease the resistance it takes for a potential customer to decide to buy if you can collect reviews from similar people, raving about your products.
So let’s do the damn thing!
Step 1: Begin by linking your e-commerce platform (ex: Shopify) to your ESP (Ex: MailChimp)
While you could potentially do this within your e-commerce platform, ideally, I recommend that you use your Email Service Provider (ESP) to send these requests because you have a greater capacity for setting up longer automations within your ESP, than within your e-commerce platform. (Therefore setting yourself up for additional automation opportunities in the future!)
Step 2: Craft a Compelling Email Template
Create a branded email template that includes a personalized greeting, a thank-you message for their past purchase, and a direct request for a review. Make sure to keep it concise and highlight the importance of their feedback.
Include a large Call to Action button which will direct them to your review platform of choice. (Ex: Google Reviews, or a review collection app embedded in your website.)
Step 3: Set Up Automation Triggers
Consider how long it takes for the customer to typically receive their purchase and have an opportunity to start using it. You want them to feel excited about your product when you ask for the review, so trigger your email to send at the best time.
A common timeline would be 2 weeks from the date of purchase.
Set up your trigger so that the email can be sent automatically, [x amount of time] after the purchase date.
Step 4: Test
Before launching your automated campaign, test the process to ensure that emails are being sent correctly and that the links to leave reviews are working properly.
Step 5: Monitor & Adjust
Once your automated review request system is in place, make a plan to check it once a month to make sure it is running smoothly, and gather data like:
- How many people have opened the email? (open rates)
- How many people are clicking the button to leave a review? (click-through rate)
- And how many people have actually left a review? (conversion rate)
This information helps you understand how effective your email is. If you notice it’s not getting much attention, you can edit the message to try to get more engagement. If it’s working well, leave it alone and let it do its work. 😎
Automating your review request process using email is truly a game-changer. Not only does it slash your admin time, it also helps grow your credibility & trust-factor online – making it easier for future visitors to become customers!
Today’s Task
✅ Follow the 5 steps listed above to set up your own review request automation.
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