How to Automate Google Reviews with SMS

The Importance of Google Reviews for Your Business

Google reviews are a critical component of any business’s online presence, but they are especially beneficial for local businesses. They lend credibility to your company; the more favorable your customer reviews, the higher your business will rank on Google search for local search engine optimization (SEO) results. This means the better your online reviews, the more people will see your business.

By utilizing a tool like Sakari that can reach out to customers via SMS text to ask for Google reviews, you’ll be able to consistently gather customer feedback while quickly building your total number of Google reviews.

Later, we’ll discuss implementing SMS texts to automate Google reviews, including some templates you can use for your business. First, let’s look at the importance of utilizing positive Google reviews.

Leveraging Positive Google Reviews in Your Marketing Strategy

When someone leaves a positive review for your business, it can signal your brand’s trustworthiness and high level of customer service to potential customers. And these Google reviews can be valuable pieces of marketing for your business. You can use them across your marketing materials, from your website to social media to email campaigns.

Best Practices for Requesting Google Reviews via SMS

Getting more responses to your Google review requests starts with following best practices. Here are some of the most significant considerations as you begin to implement SMS texts that ask for Google reviews from your customers:

• Keep it short and sweet: Texts are meant to be concise, and the best messages get right to the point, valuing your loyal customers’ time. Be sure to tell them that you’re asking for a Google review and provide a direct link to your Google review page within the text.
• Remember to say thanks: When a happy customer takes the time to provide valuable feedback or a five-star rating, be sure to reply with a thank-you message. Share how much their review means to your business.
• Make it personal: When you request Google reviews, do your best to personalize the message by including the customer’s name or details about their experience.
• Choose the right audience: It’s most valuable to select customers who have recently visited your business to provide reviews instead of those who haven’t interacted with your company in months.
• Find the right time: Depending on your business, you’ll want to find the right cadence to send your Google review link to customers. Some companies may want feedback after a customer visit, while others who sell goods may want to wait a few weeks before reaching out.
• Get consent: Customers need to opt in with their phone number to receive texts from your business. Once they do, you can ask them to write a review. In addition, if you receive great reviews and want to use them in other marketing materials, you’ll need to contact the customers directly to get their permission. The easiest way to do this is to reply to their Google review directly using your Google business profile and ask if you can use it.
• Remedy negative feedback: If someone writes a negative review, contact them to learn more about their experience and see how you can resolve the issue. This demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.

Now that you know more about the best practices to improve your requests for Google reviews, let’s look at a few Google review request templates.

Google Review Request SMS Templates

Below are several examples of Google review request templates for various customer interactions. Use these templates as a starting point, and remember to customize them to your needs.

For auto-reply messages specifically, these best practices can help.

Post-Purchase Google Review Request

• Hi [INSERT NAME], thank you for visiting [INSERT YOUR COMPANY NAME]. We’d love to hear more about your recent purchase experience. Please leave us a review and let us know how we did! [INSERT LINK]
• Hey [INSERT NAME], we really appreciate your recent visit to [INSERT YOUR COMPANY NAME] on [INSERT DATE]. We’d love for you to share your recent purchase experience. Would you mind leaving us a Google review? [INSERT LINK]

Follow-Up Google Review Request

• Hi [INSERT NAME], we haven’t heard from you yet, but we’d still love for you to share your recent experience. Please share your review here: [INSERT LINK].
• Hey [INSERT NAME], we’re still waiting to hear back from you about your recent experience with us. Leave us a review today! [INSERT LINK].

Customer Support Interaction Google Review Request

• Hey [INSERT NAME], thanks for chatting with our customer service team. We hope we could assist you. Let others know how we did by writing a Google review: [INSERT LINK]
• Thanks for contacting our team, and we hope we were able to assist you. Would you mind sharing your experience in a Google review? [INSERT LINK]

Loyalty Program Google Review Request

• Hey [INSERT NAME], we’re happy to have you as one of our loyalty club members. Could you write us a Google review so everyone else can see how much you love [INSERT YOUR BUSINESS NAME]? [INSERT LINK]
• We’re so grateful you’re a part of our loyalty program, [INSERT NAME]. Would you help us spread the word by writing a review? [INSERT LINK]

These examples are just a few Google review request templates, but there are many additional opportunities to ask your customers for reviews. Now that you’ve seen some best practices and examples, let’s check for common mistakes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Requesting Google Reviews via SMS

While requesting Google reviews via SMS, there are a few pitfalls to avoid to garner the most responses from your customers. Here’s what to avoid:

• Sending messages at inappropriate times: For consistent business communication, only send text messages during business hours. Sending texts in the middle of the night or early in the morning can lower your chances of getting responses and your credibility with customers.
• Sending too many messages: While you should send timely messages to customers, sending too many messages can annoy them. If your customers are not responding or unsubscribing, you may want to reduce the number of texts you send.
• Sending without personalization: If you send generic messages, customers may block them out, as they may feel like you’re not trying to personalize their experience. Remedy this by including as much personalization as you can.