Reviews are an important ingredient in building a successful business. Reviews on Facebook, Google, or Hello Peter can make the difference when it comes to a potential customer's decision whether to buy your products or not. Reviews from happy customers send strong signals about your product and service quality which is why they are so crucial for marketing purposes.
Reviews on online platforms could help businesses when it comes to establishing a reputation and increasing profits. For this reason, businesses should always ask for customer reviews and should use them in their marketing campaigns. Research shows that 81% of online shoppers would usually review a product or service online if they were given the opportunity to do so (Kolpin et al., 2013).
Moreover, reviews can give you valuable feedback on how to improve your product and service quality, which can often be used for cheaper research and development costs than if done internally.
So how can you get your reviews?
Customer review websites. BBB, Trustpilot, OSEHRA.com are the most well-known websites but there are many more of them. But it is important for you to research these websites and understand how their rating system works and what are the criteria for getting verified reviews on them (preference may differ by site). Another way is to contact your customers directly and ask them if they would be willing to write a review for your business. If you manage to have a good relationship with your customers, they will be likely to write a positive review. Another way is to ask your friends and colleagues if they would be willing to write a review for you. Reviews are a great way to promote the business without spending additional money on online advertising or other marketing means.
Other ways are to ask your clientele if they would like to write a review when they leave and you can provide a small incentive, for example, you provide food, drink or little gifts. You can also include reviews in your loyalty program offer since customer satisfaction is one of the main motivators for loyalty programs and can greatly contribute towards attracting new customers.
Also, it's a good idea to ask your clients if they would be willing to provide testimonials about the product or service quality. These testimonials will help you make important decisions in forming new products and services as well as understanding whether you have been successful in meeting their needs.
There are also other ways to get reviews. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc.) is still one of the most effective ways for businesses for gathering customer feedback. In addition, many companies use online surveys where the participants can rate the company and its products and services based on their experience with it.
Where to display your reviews? You can use this information in your email signature, on your website, blogs or print them in a brochure. It is also a good idea to put them up on the wall in the office where everyone can see them. This will create a positive and motivating work environment. What else should you do when you have your reviews?
It’s a good idea to mention the reviews in your marketing materials to encourage more people to visit the site and leave reviews. You can also link to it from your Facebook business page or other social media channels. The reviews can be used on your website in different ways: post them on a separate page, talk about them in blog posts, create charts with ratings of your products and services based on customer feedback. The reviews are also a great way to reward employees for their hard work. This will motivate them for their future performance and help build team spirit.
The message is clear: ask for customer reviews and use them for your marketing purposes. You can even encourage your customers to write a review on the website but you have to do it in an appropriate and ethical way.