Why do you need online reviews?

Online Reviews Featured

Online reviews are a staple of our lives now. Why should you care about the reviews that your company or products are getting online? Here’s what we have found!

The Social Proof Phenomenon

What do online reviews have to do with “social proof?” “Social Proof” is the phenomenon based on the fact that it’s easier to buy things or trust companies if we know that other people already have. Our peers provide the proof of somethings value.

“Social proof” is part of the transparency that builds brand trust. Most consumers (almost 88%) research a business before buying from them. A lot of that research comes from reviews and reading what other people have said about their experiences.

What else can Reviews Do for you?

Reviews can help educate consumers on your products and services. Reviewers usually talk about their specific experiences in their reviews. It can be an easier way for potential customers to learn more about what you offer.

Reviews Boost SEO. Specifically, Google Reviews. Google indexes reviews connected to your listing to help filter results. Especially for local traffic. “Best __ Near Me” is decided by reviews and stars. Customers will often use your keywords in reviews without even realizing it. This helps Google learn about you.

What can you do to collect reviews?

People are inclined to leave reviews if they a specifically positive or negative experience. Therefore, work hard to provide an overwhelmingly positive expertise for your customers! (You should be doing this anyway; the review is just a byproduct. 😉 )

Google Reviews
Google My Business Reviews

People like to do things for other people so a great way to collect reviews is to just ask for them! A follow up survey email after they buy from you is an easy way to this. Ask them specific, easy to answer questions about things such as: service response times, shipping times, product or service quality etc.  

Make it easy to review you. No one has time to take 10 minuets following a complicated review survey with long required written answers. People are doing you a favor by reviewing you, show that you apricate it by being respectful of their time and effort. Take out pain points of the review process: go through and make sure there aren’t any unnecessary steps or questions. Double check the user interface, id it easy to figure out?

Incentivizing your reviews (specifically ecommerce) is a big no-no! As temping as it is to show your appreciation for the review with a coupon or free shipping, or something: don’t. Both Google and Yelp have policies in place banning incentivized reviews. They will take the reviews down and give you a slap on the wrist.

What to do with reviews once you have them

You have the reviews – now what? Here’s 2 ways to leverage them!

  1. Show them off
    Let your reviews sell your product for you. Happy previous customers can be a great way to convince your potentials to buy from you! Show off your reviews on your home page with Google review widget or prominently feature some reviews as part of the design. Don’t forget to ask for permission first if you are going to highlight a specific review, especially if you are going to use their picture.
  2. Engage with reviewers
    let them know you appreciate them! It doesn’t have to be a big deal, simply liking the review or just saying thanks goes a long way. That little bit of effort can turn a happy customer into a loyal one. And a lot of marketing automation software makes replying to reviews across multiple platforms easy.

Do you have a favorite customer review?

While we are on the subject… leave us a review! 😜

 
 

The Customer Engagement Revolution

Eight months ago, Sales Force surveyed 8,000 customers worldwide to see how customer engagement trends have changed. They found that we were in the middle of engagement revolution. Now, just a few months later, the world is a drastically different place. The “revolution” in how we engage with our customers, has been sped up. We have surged forward to get to where we were already heading.

Sales Force found that a whopping 84% of customers value the experience as much as the product or service. They also found in their research that 73% of customers expectations of quality customer support was increased by just one interaction. Meaning, if another company does something extraordinarily well, customers will begin to expect that level of service from your company.

So, what do the customers want? First, they want you to understand what they need and want, before they ask. How can you do that? Think compassionately and empathetically. For example, what do most people need right now? We know they are mostly stuck at home. They could be scared. Their regular routines are gone, and they are looking for solutions to problems that just appeared and need to be fixed immediately.

Second, customers want you to come to them, on the channel they’re are most comfortable with. It doesn’t really matter what how you prefer to interact with them. And third, customers expect there not to be in missing links in communication within your company. If they talk to a sales rep one day, and customer service the next, they don’t want to have to explain what they need both times. It redundant and feels like a waste of time.  

How can your company keep up with the revolution? It’s actually pretty simple: follow the golden rule. Treat your customers the way you would like to be treated by other companies. Think about what they may need, help them with it, and you will be successful.