Not having a platform for customers to post reviews is no longer an option. Online reviews impact buying behaviors and consumer loyalty. If you’re not providing a place for feedback, you’re missing out on opportunities for new customers and an opportunity for product improvement based on reviews. It’s crucial to give consumers a space to share their experiences with your products/services. It creates trust between you and your brand while also giving insight to new customers.
Why You Need Reviews
Referrals
As a business owner, you’ve probably accumulated customers through referrals. The reach of referral marketing is now higher due to online reviews. Instead of relying on friends for great recommendations, consumers can now go online and see what is recommended by others. Having quality reviews about your services/products will result in positive word-of-mouth and bring you more customers.
Credibility
Negative and positive reviews are going to boost credibility for your business and your products.
If you don’t have any reviews, you’re giving off the impression that you’re not established. Having reviews help consumers form expectations about your business and in-turn will purchase services/products with the most realistic review. This is important because consumers want to do business with credible and trustworthy brands.
Negative Reviews
Negative reviews give you an opportunity to receive feedback from customers. If you notice there are multiple negative reviews regarding the same issue, you may need to look into it. It’s also important to avoid deleting reviews that aren’t all positive. Customers will notice if you only have positive reviews. This can look like you’re hiding something and result in a loss of trust. Instead of deleting/ignoring them, respond politely and try to resolve the issue. This will also show the public that customer satisfaction is a priority to you.
More Opportunities
Having customer reviews can lead to much more than ‘just a review’. For example, a valuable review can turn into a testimonial, statistic or even have the power to say how much people love your products, similar to CanvasPeople’s webpage. It might also lead you to conduct customer interviews to get a more in-depth review of what your customers want. Either way, each review is beneficial to your business and your customers.
How To Get Reviews:
Incentive
To initially start gathering customer reviews, provide incentives for your customers. This can include giving them access to Wi-Fi, an upgrade for their purchase or a small discount. An example of this would be, “Review us on Yelp and receive ten percent off your purchase”. By presenting incentives, your customers will be more likely to post a review. Encouraging customers to also “check-in” on social media sites like Facebook can also result in a review. Facebook sends a notification to those that have checked-in to business and invite them to write a review of their experience. Given that most users only check-in to places they want to share, the chances of receiving a positive review is much higher.
Listening
Another way to gather reviews is by monitoring the conversation around your brand on social media platforms. If customers are tagging you or commenting on your posts, always engage with them and encourage them to write a review. If they’re already speaking positively about your brand on their own time, they probably won’t mind reviewing your products/services when being asked.
If taken seriously, reviews can be one of the best marketing tools out there. Start increasing word-of-mouth, credibility and feedback through online reviews. Encouraging your customers to write a review can be as simple as asking them. You might be surprised to find that they’re open to helping out a new business succeed, especially if they’ve had a great experience.
Katherine White writes articles for businesses that want to explore different marketing strategies. Currently, she is a contributor for 365 Business Tips and a digital marketing expert for local brands such as Audi Westmont . Her educational background in Public Relations helps her tackle topics regarding strategy, branding and messaging.
