In today’s business world, every online business needs to find a way to reach their audience. Currently, one of the best sales tools a business could use is customer reviews.
If you consider the fact that as much as 70% of online buyers check online reviews before they decide to buy, it becomes clear why online reviews play such a big role. On top of that 63% of customers state that they are more likely to buy from a site that features customer reviews.
Simply put, customer reviews offer the audience a chance to see other people’s experiences with a brand before they decide to try it out for themselves. With that in mind, here are 10 great ways you can increase and improve your customer reviews that will only bring more value to your business as a whole.
Draw attention to your reviews
One of the best ways to encourage your customers to leave reviews is to draw attention to the reviews you already have. You can easily achieve this by placing some of the reviews right on the home page of your website. Additionally, in the navigation bar, you can add an entire page dedicated to reviews and testimonials. Of course, you need to make sure you don’t overdo it, so consider adding just a few reviews on your homepage which you can link directly to your “reviews and testimonials” page.
Make leaving reviews easy
Next, if you wish to encourage your customers to leave reviews, you need to make sure that doing so is really easy. Don’t discourage your customers from leaving reviews with too many redirects or unnecessary clicks. Additionally, offer them the opportunity to leave an “anonymous” review as well. The majority of people won’t feel comfortable signing their name, particularly when negative reviews are concerned, so make sure you account for this as well.
Be where your audience is
In order to encourage your customers to leave reviews, you’ll need to engage with them. So, make sure you link all of your socials on your website, so that your customers can easily find and engage with you on these platforms as well. Reviews are a great source of social proof, so make sure you engage with your audience on social media as well.
Follow up with customers
Whenever someone makes a purchase from your website or social media pages, consider sending them a follow-up email. Keep in mind that you’re most likely to get a review or a testimonial when the purchase is still top-of-mind of your customers. So, by sending a follow-up email and making sure your customers are satisfied, you will not only encourage them to leave a review but you’ll also make a positive impression.
Know which questions to ask
If you want to make the best out of your online reviews, you need to know which topics you wish to cover first. Think about which goals you’re trying to achieve with your customer revies. You can find a great example of customer reviews done right on the AskGamblers website. Since in this industry honesty plays a huge role, their customer reviews can provide any interested party with all the answers they may be looking for.
Engage with glowing reviews
Whenever someone leaves a glowing review about your business, make sure you engage with them. Thank them for the time they’ve taken to leave the review and even ask them if they’d be okay with you sharing their review. That way you’ll show your customers that you do actually care about their feedback and are interested in keeping them satisfied.
Address negative reviews
Engaging with positive reviews is easy, but addressing the negative ones can prove to be a bit challenging to some. Nobody likes to hear negative things being said about them, but it’s important to listen to those things and try to learn from them. Naturally, you should never try to hide negative review as, if you do so, you will only come off as ingenuine and dishonest. Instead, address your negative reviews, thank the customers who made them and make a conscious effort to do better in the future. It’s important to show your customers that interacting with your brand is not a one-way street, and that you do – in fact – value their feedback, and not just their money.
Hold a contest
Another great way to encourage customer reviews is by organizing a small contest. Your social media pages can be a great place for such an activity. For instance, simply ask your customers to say which product they like the most and why and draw random winners from the pool of the customers that engaged in the contest. That way, you will get a boost in engagement, as well as valuable feedback, but you will also have the opportunity to give something in return.
Make sure you reward the reviews
Every time a person chooses to leave a review on your page, keep in mind that they are taking some of their free time to do so. Therefore, aside from thanking them for their feedback and engagement, you should also find a way to revered them. For instance, you can choose to send a personalized email to every customer that left a review on your page. Alternatively, you can offer a 5 or 10% discount to anyone who leaves a review. That way you will both encourage your customers to talk more about your brand, but you’ll also be rewarding them for doing so.
Give a shout out to reviewers
In the world of social media, shout outs play a big role. By shouting out some of your most loyal reviewers, not only will you be thanking them in a unique way, but you’ll also be boosting their review’s credibility. By adding a name and a face to the review, it will instantly become more relevant. Of course, make sure you first check with the reviewer if they feel comfortable with such a move.
Any business owner knows just how important it is to stay on top of the current trends regarding anything and everything business-related. By constantly improving your operations, you will create the right environment that will allow your business to grow. So, make sure you keep these 10 tips in mind if you wish to improve your customer reviews.
