I used to own a web design business and one strategy we focused on to bring in more qualified leads was amping up our Google reviews. Often this came in the form of a friendly email to clients and simply asked them to help our business.
Generally, I was able to get many clients to fulfill my request because we had great rapport and they were happy to do so.
On the other hand there are several online tools and apps that companies have used to bombard people will emails and texts requesting for reviews to their Google page. I personally find those annoying and decrease my willingness to write a review.
Why You Should Never Ask for Fake Reviews (Even from Family and Friends)
It helpful to be aware that there’s a fine line in asking for reviews, though. You can’t pay someone or incentivize them to give you a favorable review and you definitely can’t gather fake reviews. I know plenty of people will ask friends or families to write reviews to bolster their business appearance which is fine if that family member or friend has used your service.
In any other instance it would simply be unethical and deceptive.
(Note: See Federal Trade Commissions (FTC Act) (15 USC 45))
So what if you were in a situation where you’ve asked a lot of clients for reviews but no one was writing them?
Enter handwritten cards.
Two Reasons Why the Psychology of Handwritten Cards for Reviews Work
Firstly, perception is reality and when you use a handwritten card it conveys a sense of effort and thoughtfulness. In fact, the psychology of reciprocity states that when someone gives you something then you are more inclined to want to give back when requested.
So for instance, I give you a t-shirt and a week later I need a pair of socks. Chances are you’ll feel more willing to give me a pair of socks if you feel as if there was an unspoken debt.
Secondly, there is a greater sense of intimacy through a personalized letter and it stands alone among an inbox full of emails. There is likely no other company reaching out to the client from any area of their life in the form of a handwritten letter asking for this request.
The idea is that the extra effort will lead the request to be taken more seriously (and therefore enacted upon).
Summary
So if your efforts to get more online reviews through third-party platforms, emails, or otherwise hasn’t been effective maybe you should consider launching a handwritten campaign to see where it will take you.
I highly suspect you’ll receive a better response than with previous efforts, but of course, I’m biased.