Social media is one of the primary reasons people log onto popular networks, and one key reason people search for product and service reviews is seeking opinions of peers in their area. By sharing reviews with local consumers who seek opinions like them, sharing reviews can be an effective strategy to build your business and grow sales.

Search engines love user-generated content, so positive reviews on your website will boost its ranking with search engines. But review bombing can hurt so be careful with your practices. 

1. Ask for Reviews

Effective reviews require asking directly. Making it feel more natural by including customer names and discussing recent experiences when asking them directly helps ensure reviews.

Consider approaching your most loyal customers first. These individuals will likely share positive stories that could expand and strengthen your business while drawing in new clients.

Make use of call-to-action buttons (CTAs) on your website to direct customers towards Google where they can leave reviews about you, such as banners or pop-ups with links directly to your review page. Remember not to offer incentives that could compromise authenticity and violate platform guidelines, while at the same time avoid spamming customers with too many review requests.

2. Share Your Best Reviews

Reviews provide social proof for your e-commerce business and drive engagement online, while helping your audience understand how your products and services will help them.

Reviews can be defined simply as feedback posted to your website or social media page by customers about your company, product, or service. They often take the form of star ratings and customer recommendations. In some instances, reviews also contain details like the name and time that it was written by the reviewer.

Although it’s essential to monitor and respond to negative reviews, be sure to acknowledge customers who leave positive reviews as this shows your brand appreciates their business – this may even lead to new customer acquisition. Share these positive testimonials on your social feeds or carousel posts!

3. Highlight Reviews in Your Highlights

One effective way of encouraging customers to review your brand is by displaying its best reviews on your website as social proof, helping to build trust and credibility while ranking higher in search results.

Flockler allows you to quickly embed reviews on your website or digital screens with our Reviews Highlights widget, powered by our customizable upload form that lets your audience express themselves directly on your site.

Instagram Stories Highlights can be an ideal way to consolidate questions that arise repeatedly from members of your team, like @zapier’s Q&A feature which shares customer feedback in the form of tips to solve common problems. Incentivize email signups by including link stickers or polls which direct followers directly to the subscription page with highlight features like this one from @zapier!

4. Share Reviews in Carousel Posts

Add social proof into a carousel post is an effective way of showcasing client testimonials, strengthening credibility, and convincing new customers to choose you.

Consider sharing short, vertical video testimonials across your social media platforms. Videos tend to grab people’s attention more effectively than text-based content, as they convey messages quickly. They’re an effective way of promoting services through Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, TikTok Stories or YouTube Shorts.

Some social media platforms provide clear review features, like the star rating and recommendations section on your Facebook Business Page or Instagram Story highlights feature. Other networks, like Pinterest, Twitter or TikTok may not provide this type of functionality so it is essential that you monitor for reviews that mention you and respond swiftly.

5. Ask for Reviews on Twitter

Consumers turning to social media for reviews often turn to sites such as Pinterest and Instagram for advice and recommendations before making purchases.

Social media reviews and opinions can be more difficult to interpret than traditional review sites due to user-generated content (UGC), but with some effort it is possible to keep an eye on Twitter for any posts about your business or any photos with tags mentioning its name or mention of images tagged as belonging to it.

When you discover positive reviews of your company on Twitter, share them to motivate more people to write reviews about you and share. It is also crucial that you be prepared to address negative social media feedback in a polite and empathetic manner; take any conversations offline when necessary in order to demonstrate customer service commitment.