This post originally appeared in SmartBlogs.
While Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus are excellent tools to engage existing customers, they serve a different function in the eyes of prospective customers than independent review platforms. Everyone knows your fans and followers love you; the best online review platforms are seen as more impartial and better places to research the quality of a business before making a purchase. That said, you can still leverage your social media presence into a compelling online review presence.
1. Ask for reviews
Your Facebook fans and Twitter followers likely have profiles on leading review sites. Simply ask them to write you a quick review. You’ll be pleased to see that many are more than happy to — it just never occurred to them without your prompting.
2. Run a contest
Just like you may have offered giveaways or other discounts to gain fans and followers, do the same for reviews. When you post on your FB or Twitter asking for reviews, offer a prize or other incentive for their time. NOTE: Do not offer incentives for only positive reviews because customers can see this as manipulative and review sites that see this happening may ban you or delete your reviews.
3. Show off your good reviews
Once you accumulate a small number of good reviews, show them off by posting them to your social media accounts via links and/or badges. We’ve seen phrases like, “Excited to be so highly rated on Sitejabber! – [link to review]” working well to encourage visits to your page, more reviews and more conversions.
4. Ask for reviewers to Tweet and Share reviews
As part of a contest, or just as a request, ask your fans and followers to tweet or share their reviews on Facebook or on your Facebook page. This is a great way to give your brand more visibility and to get the most out of your reviews. You can also retweet or like their tweets and posts to further recognize your biggest supporters.
