Customer reviews of a business have taken on an influential role in its success and brand building. A vast majority of customers use them as a gauge for quality and reliability in the businesses or brands they want to support.
Reviews can be the difference between a company being successful or failing. It is crucial to find out what your customers think about your products and services and use that feedback to create a better experience for your customers.
While it is impossible to get all your customers to leave online reviews of your product or service, leveraging the ones you have in your digital marketing strategy will positively impact your business.
After reading this article, you will be able to incorporate customer reviews into your business development plan. This helps attain a positive impact on its overall bottom line and conversions. If you want to increase your online presence, boost your search engine rankings, or get more traffic to your website, then this article will help you by using the customer reviews you have.
Let’s look into some techniques for leveraging customer reviews effectively.
Why Are Customer Reviews Important?
Reviews of a business are what help determine how trustworthy your offers are when used by customers. Now more than ever, consumers rely on reviews left by customers to decide whether to purchase a product or service from a business.
Reviews have a significant impact on a business. The most trusted reviews are those from previous customers posting on social media and business profiles on Google, Yelp!, Trustpilot, and the like.
When people read reviews of a business, they are able to make an informed decision on whether or not to buy from the business. If a business has a high number of negative reviews, then the chances of them making a purchase are very low.
Another thing that reviews do is help businesses gain more exposure. When a business receives positive reviews, it means that people are happy with the products or services they buy.
With that in mind, here are some ways to leverage customer reviews for a positive business impact.
8 Ways To Leverage Customer Reviews
Leveraging customer reviews to benefit your business requires constant communication and engagement with its ideal client and target audience. By using strategies that incorporate customer reviews, a business can see positive impacts to lead generation and its ultimate goal of gaining and increasing revenue.
1. Set Up Your Google Business Profile And Trustpilot Profiles
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free service offered by Google that allows you to manage your business information and listing. Additionally, GBP will enable you to upload photos of your business, set up location details, add contact information, and much more.
Most importantly, GBP gives customers an easy way to include reviews and ratings for your business. These reviews give potential customers insight into what they can expect from a business and how it will benefit them.
For example, KURU Footwear has become known for carrying comfortable shoes for everyday use. This reflects in its GMB profile reviews.
Trustpilot is another free service for businesses to create a profile. Similar to GMB, Trustpilot also places your business name, address, phone number, and email address. Here, customers can also leave their reviews or ratings of a business.
The two services above are essential to having a strong online presence. Once you have these profiles, you can start getting reviews. You can ask your current customers to leave reviews for you on both platforms.
You can also start asking your past customers to leave reviews on both platforms. Make sure that you are consistent in asking for reviews from your customers, so your customers know you value their feedback.
2. Use Reviews On Your Social Media Posts And Website
A business’ online presence is essential to its success. Using platforms like a business website and social media increases the potential of a business to gain more leads and conversions. Posting reviews on these platforms is a great way to connect with your customers.
Social media posts are a great way to engage with your customers. By interacting with your customers on social media, you are allowing them to leave reviews. You can do this by asking your customers questions in the comments or by replying to their inputs.
Firepit Surplus shows a great example of showcasing what their customers think of their outdoor furniture selection on Instagram. Highlighting customer reviews on social media plays a significant part in building a positive brand image for any business.
This will help you increase your social media presence and allow you to get the word out about your business. To make an eye catching social media post with reviews, opt for clean layouts in your post with eye catching filters that compliment the message you are trying to get across.
Also, your website is another excellent place to showcase the reviews your business has received. Posting reviews on your website shows visitors that your business is credible and has industry authority in providing that particular product or service.
3. Incorporate Reviews Into Your Marketing Strategy
Another way to leverage your business reviews is to incorporate them into your business marketing strategy. Aside from social media having reviews on your regular email newsletters, promotional material, and blogs add credibility to what your business has to say.
I. Email Marketing
Email marketing is when businesses reach out to leads and existing customers to update them on current business events, trends and happenings. This is usually in the form of a newsletter or cold email aimed at convincing leads to check out the latest product or service (or updates to existing ones) to bring in website traffic or purchase an offering.
Placing customer reviews into these newsletters or cold emails shows those reading it that what’s offered to them has credibility and quality that can be trusted to solve the problem it sets out to. Including one or two reviews can be a great way to convince an audience to follow your call to action (CTA).
II. Promotional
Promotional material includes print and digital advertising for a business. Similar to email marketing, it aims to convince an audience to take up an offer, whether product or service.
While it is necessary to make these promotional materials as concise and informative as possible, having a few pieces with reviews properly placed adds value to your business branding and message. You’ll be seen in a positive light, which can convince people more directly to work with your business.
III. Blogs
Blogging has tons of benefits for a business, and having a few blogs that focus on addressing customers’ comments, suggestions, and concerns goes back to making them feel heard and appreciated. Take, for example, how Aloa highlights users’ burning questions about hiring talent for software development in their blog post.
Take the time to compile questions and comments customers leave in review sections and address them in a blog. Then, you can link the blog post to your reply. Not only will their questions have answers, but you are also able to drive traffic to your business website.
Learning digital marketing for business goes a long way in helping it reach its target marketing and growing to reach new markets. By incorporating customer reviews into a business’s marketing strategy, the possibility of gaining new leads increases through the idea of referrals and recommendations.
4. Make It Easy To Find And Write A Review
It is not enough to just say that you have a review policy. People need to know where to find the review form and how to write a review. Make sure that your customers can easily find the form and easily understand how to write a review.
If you are using a review form, make sure that it is simple and easy to use. A simple and easy-to-use form can also help you gather reviews faster. Or, you can place reviews in a strategic place on your website’s site map.
3Wishes does an excellent job of making it easy for their target customers to find reviews on their premium lingerie collection so buyers can make an informed choice.
5. Reply To Reviews Promptly
Replying to reviews promptly is a customer service technique that shows that your business cares about how your offers impact the lives of its consumers. Next time you receive a review, reply to it. Thank the customer for taking the time to write the review, and ensure that you address any concerns they may have had.
This will give the customer a sense of importance. It will also help you build trust with your customers. Replying to reviews is especially important for low or negative reviews.
Having a prompt reply to concerns makes your business look established and organized in ensuring customer satisfaction. Moreover, by responding to reviews, you also show that you care about what your customers have to say.
This will make them feel appreciated and valued. Making customers feel valued adds a personal touch to any business. In such cases, they are more likely to recommend it to friends and family.
6. Reach Out To Customers For Reviews
Gaining reviews from customers takes time. A business cannot expect to have hundreds of credible reviews overnight. The trick here is to reach out to the customers who have availed of offers and personally ask them to leave a review.
You can generate feedback from your customers by allowing them to leave reviews based on the products and services that you offer. Placing a feedback button on your website makes it easy for users to leave their thoughts, just like the word unscramble tool, Unscramblex, does.
It is crucial that you utilize this service after the customer has time to review your products and services to provide detailed information on both the experience and any possible suggestions that they may have.
Another way to reach out to prospective clients is to contact them directly, either via an email survey or call. This method allows you to pick which customers are more frequent with purchasing your products or services.
Ask your customers for reviews because this shows that you value their feedback and opinions. It also helps in building a relationship with your customers.
7. Use Relevant Keywords In Review Replies
Part of what makes customer reviews so powerful is their contribution to your business’ domain authority and SEO standing. This is primarily due to the fact that reviews will often make use of your target keywords.
For example, the software development company, SPD Load, uses short-tail and long-tail keywords in replying to and explaining their work in relation to client reviews left.
These keywords are what Google and other search engines use to rank the page and show it in the results. When you use relevant keywords in your replies, you are telling Google that this page is relevant to the search terms used.
You can use tools like SEMrush to find keywords and phrases used in reviews. These can be used to make your reply more effective.
In that regard, using your business’ target keywords in replying to customer reviews will increase your business’s social media and website’s domain authority and credibility. Search engines do not only rely on one source to gauge whether or not a site is to be trusted. Rather, it aggregates its credibility by compiling all the sites and platforms that it has a presence in.
By leveraging customer reviews with relevant keywords, your website can gain a step up on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) to gain higher website authority and, in turn, credibility in the eyes of potential customers.
8. Keep It Genuine And Personal
Last but not least, approach reviews in a genuine and personal manner. Whereas some businesses may reply to reviews with generic messages, this will not do any good to your business.
It will make your business appear unprofessional and untrustworthy. You need to be genuine and show that you care about what your customers have to say. This will make them feel that you are a genuine business and that they can trust you.
Here is an excellent example of a reply to a customer review:
In this reply, you can see four main elements:
- The customer is addressed by name
- The first line addresses the concern/comment
- There is a solution or insight to the customer’s thoughts
- The reply “thanks” the customer for the feedback
In that regard, they become more effective at conveying the true feelings of a business. It is easy to make the mistake of trying to convince a customer that your business is the best. But by doing so, you risk losing their trust.
Dealing With Negative Customer Reviews
Coming across negative reviews of your business is likely to happen once in a while. In dealing with negative reviews, keep in mind that this is not something that should affect your business’ reputation.
You can either take the good with the bad, or you can try to improve upon the areas where you can. In either case, you need to learn to deal with criticism.
A negative review is a chance to learn from the mistake and use it to improve your business. When it comes to negative reviews, there are four things that you can do:
A. Address The Issue
In addressing the issue, you need to make sure that you address the customer’s concerns. You need to be honest and tell the customer that you understand what he or she is saying.
In doing so, you are making it clear that you are listening to their feedback and that you are willing to improve.
B. Ask For Feedback
By asking for feedback, you are giving them the opportunity to share their views with you. You are also allowing them to provide you with ideas and suggestions that can help you improve your business.
C. Thank Them
In thanking them, you are acknowledging their contribution to your business. This will allow them to feel appreciated and that they have helped you grow. Thanking customers also shows a positive brand attitude wherein you appreciate their trust in what you have to offer.
D. Follow Up
After thanking them, you need to follow up with them. This is a way of showing that you care about their opinion and that you want to improve your business. Following up with customers indicates that your business is willing to improve. Also, a quick follow up shows consistency and reliability to customers.
3 Tips To Get More Customer Reviews For Your Business
Aside from reaching out to customers to get reviews, you can incorporate some of the tips below to collect inputs and insights. These tips are helpful in gaining organic reviews more quickly, which can jumpstart your business, especially if it is new to the industry.
i. Post A Question Regarding Your Offering On Social Media
Social media is the new gathering hub for people to talk about their interests and learn more about new products and services from businesses. It is a powerful tool that, if used right, can be the key to giving your target market exactly what it needs.
Posting a question is a quick and easy way to collect reviews in the comments section. Reviews which you can use as a springboard for your next update, version, etc. The replies you get here can also be used to streamline marketing plans that target a more specific group of people.
Here are some example questions to ask on social media.
- What did you think of our new update?
- Have you tried our latest product/service?
- Was our latest blog helpful to you?
Such questions also open up many ideas for blogs, improvements to your offerings, and potential for business growth.
ii. Share Your Business Story
One reason customer reviews are highly valued nowadays is that people appreciate personal connections to the business they choose to affiliate themselves with. Meaning, that your customers are supporting the climb of your business and spreading it using word of mouth and social media.
Showcasing the positive feedback you garnered can boost popularity as it shows how open you are to displaying their reviews to other potential clients.
iii. Keep Your Customers Updated
Perhaps one of the best ways to get more reviews from customers is to keep them updated on what’s happening in your industry and what’s coming up. Sparking conversation on your website or social media through various posts can help notify your customers about upcoming special deals and promotions that you may have.
You can also use this opportunity to create special events with other companies and communities to help increase the attention without needing to spend too much money on advertising services.
Key Takeaway
Leveraging customer reviews is a powerful tool that adds credible value to your business or brand. Using the reviews gathered, you can build trust and credibility for your business and your brand.
To make the most out of the reviews your business has gained, incorporate them into your social media and advertising efforts. Doing so shows potential customers what you are capable of. If you are a new business, reaching out to customers and personally asking for reviews is a great way to get the ball rolling.
Having a good number or authentic reviews for your business also increases brand awareness and customer loyalty. When you receive a review from a customer, you know that someone has been thinking about your brand, which opens up the opportunity to gain potential leads for your pipeline and customers that convert.
Navigating the complex maze of online marketing does not have to be confusing. Visit us at Masterful Marketing for a streamlined approach to growing your web presence in the digital age.
About the author
Burkhard Berger
Burkhard Berger is the founder of Novum™. He helps innovative B2B companies implement revenue-driven SEO strategies to scale their organic traffic to 1,000,000+ visitors per month. Curious about what your true traffic potential is?
