When sending review requests to your customers it is essential to know whether you will get better conversions using either email or SMS messaging. Both forms of messaging are effective forms of communication that make requesting online reviews a simple process. So should your business send a review request to customers via email or via text message (SMS)? The answer really depends on how you collect customer information. Not all businesses collect both email and phone numbers, but you really should be collecting at least one of these to improve your marketing efforts.
You will be wanting to use the form of communication with the highest response rate and open rate. If you’re looking to get more reviews then using SMS will likely be the most effective method. But, if you’re looking to build relationships and make connections with customers then an email may be better suited.
What Are Review Requests?
A review request is a message sent to a customer from a business asking them to leave a review or feedback about their experience with said business. 2 of the best ways to send this messaging is via email or text message. The purpose of sending a review request is to increase the likelihood for them to leave a review. More users leave a negative Google review than a positive review on their own after a negative experience. The data (found in our Google Reviews Whitepaper) suggest a negative customer experience leads to a negative review close to 100% of the time, whereas a positive experience only leads to a good review about 10% of the time.
Sending review requests helps nudge both types of satisfied people to leave customer feedback if they wish to do so. Businesses always look for clever ways to ask for reviews. SMS and email are both great methods to ask for customer reviews. Many businesses collect this data and have permission to contact customers via these channels. Sending review requests to your customers is a great way for you to get feedback about your business and is something many more businesses should consider acting on. This is because collecting more positive online reviews can help increase your reputation, gain more customers, improve your ranking in organic search results, and gives you honest feedback to make improvements to your business.
Advantages Of Sending Review Requests Via SMS
One of the most effective ways to send communications to customers is by using a Short Messaging Service (SMS), which is also known as a text message. Mobile phone usage is now at an all time high and SMS marketing is continuing to grow as a strategy. SMS is great for sending short messages and is best used by businesses to send information about new promotions, discounts, reminders, and other time-sensitive updates. One of the biggest advantages of text messaging is that customers regularly check their phones whenever a new message notification is received. The urgency is usually not similar when it comes to receiving a new email.
According to Twilio, 9 out of 10 text messages are opened within the first three minutes of being received, making it a great opportunity for brands to capture attention. Estimated open rates for SMS messages is approximately 98% meaning your customers will almost always see your messages on their mobile devices.
How To Send A Text Message Asking For A Review
There is a best etiquette when it comes to sending online Google review request text messages. The most important thing is to make sure you have permission to send a message to a customer. Most of the time if they ‘opt in’ to your newsletter or equivalent then you have permission if this is built into your terms and conditions. Be short and efficient in your text messages because customers don’t want to read an essay and will want to quickly know what the message is about.
It is also important to maintain a professional tone when sending these messages. The time of day these messages go out is also vital for success, as the middle of the day will be better than in the middle of the night. No customer will want to receive SMS review requests at 1 am, so make sure to plan your messages along the lines of these best practices.
Is Sending Review Requests Via Email Effective?
Email is traditionally the preferred way to communicate with customers across many industries. The problem with this is that sending review requests via email is not always the best option. Emails can be an effective way to send communications when you have detailed marketing messages and want to reach a large number of potential customers all at once. Sending a review request via SMS might be better if you send shorter messaging and want to improve your open rates. This could lead to an increase in customer activity and convert more sales. However, it is very dependent on the type of industry you are operating in and testing both is usually a good idea.
How To Send An Email Asking For A Review
Email is best for sending long-form communications and having your messaging all drafted up in advance when sending an email campaign is key. When sending email requests it is important to note that you can contain a lot more information than in a text message. Email communication has been in use for many decades now and is a well established form of communication, but just not as commonly used as SMS messaging.
The campaign for sending email review requests needs to include a concise subject line that includes the main offer of your email (the review request). This gives customers a preview of your message and gives them a compelling reason to open your message. The content should be personalized to include the customer’s first name for example and needs to come across as friendly. The body should contain a review link where a customer can leave a review and more information about the request.
Send Text Messages & Emails To Boost Your Reviews
Both SMS and email can be effective ways to send communications to your customers in the review process, although certain styles of messaging are best suited for each channel. Email is best for sending longer, more detailed messages that include images and attachments. Whereas, SMS is the best form of communication to send shorter messages such as a quick review request. Different types of businesses collect contact details in other formats and it comes down to the industry or the business owner’s preference.
For example, clothing retailers tend to collect email addresses for a newsletter on new sales, whereas car dealerships collect phone numbers so they can call you for a follow-up chat. It doesn’t matter the type of business, both forms of communication can be used alongside one another as complementary channels. This helps create a unified communication channel for delivering messaging alerts to your customers.
Some people prefer email and some prefer SMS, but both can work well when used correctly. Sending one or both using these forms of communication is a great way to ensure you collect more positive 5-star reviews for your business.
AddMe Helps Send SMS & Email Review Requests
AddMe Reviews works with local business owners to help improve their reputation online as a digital marketing strategy. Our request reviews feature is simple to use and is just one of our many features that businesses use to improve their review management. Start a 14 day trial today to see how AddMe Reviews can support your business goals with our review request features and more.
