As a lawnmower and tractor dealership, you know the importance of having positive customer reviews. In today’s digital age, online reviews can make or break your business. According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 92% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase and 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. That’s why it’s crucial to have a strategy in place to generate reviews for your business.
While traditional methods of generating customer reviews, like sending follow-up emails or asking for reviews in-person, can be effective, there are also many unconventional ways to generate reviews that can help set your dealership apart from the competition. In this blog post, we’ll explore seven unconventional ways to generate reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership.
Host a Customer Appreciation Event
Hosting a customer appreciation event is a unique way to generate customer reviews, especially for lawnmower and tractor dealerships. These types of events can create a positive and fun atmosphere that encourages customers to engage with your dealership. A large number of dealerships do a Spring Demo Day or Field Day of some sort each year. You can use already scheduled events and sales as unique opportunities to generate reviews.
Consider hosting a BBQ, open house, or customer appreciation day where you offer special discounts and promotions. During the event, you can encourage customers to leave a review by providing them with a tablet or computer where they can easily leave their feedback. You could also offer incentives such as a raffle for leaving a review or a discount on their next purchase.
By creating a positive experience for your customers, you increase the likelihood that they will leave a positive review. Additionally, hosting an event can help you build stronger relationships with your customers and show them that you appreciate their business.
When planning your event, consider promoting it on your website and social media channels to attract more attendees. You can also send email invitations to your customer base to ensure that they are aware of the event.
Hosting a customer appreciation event is a great way to generate customer reviews and build strong relationships with your customers. By creating a positive experience and providing incentives, you can increase the likelihood that your customers will leave a review and help your dealership stand out in the online marketplace.
Use Video Testimonials
In addition to written reviews, video testimonials are a powerful tool to showcase your customers’ experiences with your dealership. Video testimonials allow customers to share their experiences in a more personal and engaging way, making them more impactful and credible.
To create video testimonials, consider asking satisfied customers if they would be willing to record a short video sharing their experience with your products and services. You can do this in person or remotely, depending on what works best for you and your customers. Some customers may feel more comfortable recording themselves, while others may prefer to record in person with a member of your team.
When creating video testimonials, keep them short and to the point. Encourage customers to share specific details about their experience, such as how your products or services helped them, or how your team went above and beyond to provide excellent service as well as the specific item(s) or services they purchased from your dealership. These details can help potential customers get a better sense of what it’s like to work with your dealership and can build trust and credibility.
Once you have recorded video testimonials, share them on your website, social media profiles and in email marketing campaigns. Consider creating a dedicated page on your website where customers can view all of your video testimonials in one place. This can help potential customers find the information they need to make an informed purchase decision and can help your dealership stand out from competitors.
Video testimonials are a great way to showcase your customers’ experiences and build trust and credibility with potential customers. By making the process as easy as possible for your customers, you can generate more video testimonials and create a strong online presence for your dealership.
Partner with a Local Influencer
Partnering with local influencers or bloggers can be a powerful way to generate customer reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. These individuals have established followings and can help you reach a wider audience and build trust with potential customers.
To get started, research local influencers in your industry or niche who have an engaged following. Look for influencers who are active on social media and who have an audience that aligns with your target customer base. Some of my favorite in the Lawn Industry are OPE It’s Mow Time, The Lawn Whisperer and The Lawn Tools. Once you have identified potential influencers, reach out to them and offer them a free product or service in exchange for an honest review.
When working with influencers, it’s important to set clear expectations and guidelines for the review. Make sure the influencer understands your brand values and the key benefits of your products and services. Provide them with the necessary information and resources to create a thoughtful and informative review.
Once the review is posted, be sure to share it on your own social media channels and website. This can help to amplify the reach of the review and generate more visibility for your dealership. Additionally, consider offering a discount or promotion to customers who mention the influencer’s review when making a purchase.
Partnering with influencers can be a great way to build brand awareness and increase your dealership’s visibility. By leveraging the reach and influence of these individuals, you can generate more positive reviews and attract new customers to your business.
Partnering with local influencers or bloggers can be a powerful strategy for generating customer reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. By building relationships with these individuals and providing them with a positive experience, you can generate more visibility and credibility for your business.
Gamify the Review Process
Gamifying the review process can be a unique and engaging way to encourage customers to leave feedback for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. By adding an element of fun and competition, you can incentivize customers to leave reviews and generate more positive feedback.
One way to gamify the review process is to offer a prize or discount to customers who leave a review. For example, you could offer a free oil change or a percentage off their next purchase for leaving a review. This provides customers with a tangible reward for their time and effort and can increase the likelihood that they will leave a review.
When gamifying the review process, it’s important to make sure that the rules and guidelines are clear and easy to understand. Be transparent about the prizes and rewards that are available and make sure that customers understand how to leave a review and how their participation will be tracked.
Additionally, make sure that the review process is easy and accessible for customers. Provide clear instructions on how to leave a review and consider providing a tablet or computer in-store where customers can easily leave feedback. Make it as simple and convenient as possible for customers to participate in the gamified review process.
By gamifying the review process, you can make leaving feedback a fun and engaging experience for your customers. This can help to increase participation and generate more positive reviews, ultimately building trust and credibility with potential customers.
Use SMS Marketing
To use SMS marketing for review generation, start by identifying customers who have recently made a purchase or had a service appointment. This could be as simple as pulling a list of customers who have made a purchase within the last 30 days. Once you have identified these customers, craft a personalized message that thanks them for their recent business and asks for their feedback.
Make sure the message includes a direct link to the review platform of your choice, such as Google or Yelp. This makes it easy for customers to leave a review without having to search for your dealership’s page on their own. You could also consider offering a small incentive or discount to customers who leave a review, such as a percentage off their next purchase or a free service upgrade.
When using SMS marketing for review generation, it’s important to be respectful of customers’ time and privacy. Make sure the message is personalized and relevant to the customer and avoid sending too many messages in a short period of time. Additionally, make sure that customers have the option to opt-out of future SMS messages if they choose to do so.
Overall, SMS marketing can be a quick and convenient way to reach customers and encourage them to leave feedback about their experience with your dealership. By making it easy for customers to leave a review and offering a small incentive, you can increase the likelihood of generating positive reviews and building trust with potential customers.
You can send SMS Messages through platforms such as DealerAmp, that allow you to send a large number of personalized texts and emails at once.
Hire a Review Service
A review service can work by following up with customers after a purchase or service appointment and asking them to leave a review. This takes the burden off of your dealership’s staff and makes it easier for customers to leave feedback without feeling pressured or overwhelmed. Additionally, a review service can help to ensure that all customers are given the opportunity to leave a review, not just the ones who are most passionate (either positively or negatively) about their experience.
When choosing a review service, look for one that is reputable and has experience working with businesses in your industry such as DealerAmp. Make sure the service is transparent about their methods for generating reviews and that they adhere to ethical and legal guidelines. Additionally, make sure the service provides detailed reporting and analytics, so you can track your progress and make adjustments as needed.
One benefit of working with a review service is that it can help to ensure that your dealership is consistently receiving positive reviews. By using a third-party service to gather feedback, you can identify areas for improvement and make changes to your business practices as needed. This can help to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately leading to more positive reviews and word-of-mouth referrals.
Hiring a review service to your customers can be a unique and effective way to generate reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. By streamlining the review process and working with a reputable review service, you can increase the likelihood of receiving positive reviews and building trust with potential customers.
Utilize User-Generated Content
User-generated content is a great way to not only generate customer reviews but also build brand awareness and create a sense of community around your dealership. By encouraging customers to share their experiences with your products and services on social media, you can showcase your products and services to a wider audience.
One way to encourage user-generated content is to create a branded hashtag and encourage customers to use it when sharing their posts on social media. This can help you track and monitor customer posts and easily share them on your dealership’s social media profiles.
You can also host a social media contest where customers can win prizes for sharing their photos or videos using your branded hashtag. This can help to increase participation and generate more user-generated content.
Sharing user-generated content on your dealership’s website and social media profiles can also help to build social proof and trust with potential customers. When customers see real people using and enjoying your products and services, they are more likely to trust your dealership and make a purchase.
In addition, sharing user-generated content can also help to build a sense of community around your dealership. When customers see that others are also using and enjoying your products and services, they may feel more connected to your dealership and be more likely to become repeat customers.
Incorporating user-generated content into your digital marketing strategy can be a powerful way to generate customer reviews, build brand awareness and create a sense of community around your dealership.
Take Action to Generate More Reviews for Your Lawnmower and Tractor Dealership Today!
Generating customer reviews is essential for the success of your lawnmower and tractor dealership. While traditional methods of generating reviews can be effective, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try unconventional tactics to encourage customers to leave feedback. Hosting customer appreciation events, using video testimonials, partnering with local influencers, gamifying the review process, utilizing SMS marketing, Hiring a review service and utilizing user-generated content are all unique ways to generate reviews and build trust with potential customers.
By implementing these strategies, you can create a strong online presence and reputation, helping your dealership stand out from the competition and attract new customers. Remember, reviews are not just a way to boost your online reputation; they can also provide valuable feedback that can help you improve your products and services. So, get creative and start generating positive customer reviews today!