Building and crediting your brand’s reputation is not easy,but customer reviews can help you with that. And if used efficiently, they can improve your marketing performance considerably.
With 80% of shoppers trusting customer feedback as much as personal recommendations and 92% people going through reviews before purchase, testimonials have become an important part of any e-commerce business strategy.
Collecting consumer reviews online might be the simplest way to grow your brand’s visibility. By gathering fresh content in the form of reviews, you can achieve your company’s long-term goal of boosting sale and conversions. However, it is not always easy to figure out how to do so without bothering customers.
Asking for feedback is important to develop your business and solidify customer relations, even if the process sometimes feels uncomfortable.
The business strategy
In his presentation at Brighton SEO, the Managing Director and Head of Marketing Services for Pull Digital, Chris Bullock, discussed the idea of adding reviews to a brand’s strategy.Mentioned ahead are some of the persuasive stats supporting the decision;
- By utilizing fresh user generated content, reviews can boost your overall results.
- Around 72% of customers will only take action after reading a positive review.
- 90% of consumers read reviews before visiting a business.
31% of customers are likely to spend 31% more for a service with excellent reviews.
Due to Google’s evolving ranking algorithms, there seems to be an increase in content-focused updates, social sharing,and device friendliness.
The new Google look
It is understandable that many site owners cannot always keep a check on search engine alterations. While having a sturdy focus on their business, they slowly realize that the traffic they were receiving from Google has dropped significantly.
Any online retailer relying on asearch engine would know the tremendous hit on revenue when visibility is significantly reduced. It is a mistake not to monitor search engine results when you’re solely dependent on them for revenue.
For example, have a look at the latest search engine results after asearch. Displayed below the 3-pack is an alternative result:
Out of a total of 6 results displayed, only 2 are actual plumbing services, while the three highlighted in red are review sites. This search result pattern, in particular, is common with local searches.
As a site owner that sells services, you probably have a difficult time competing against apps such as Yelp, Yellow Pages,andAngie’s List. These websites are extremely popular, have high visibility search results and dominate Google’s first page.
Surprisingly, you don’t have to compete against the ‘big dogs.’You can leverage them, instead, to increase your own site’s visibility and reviews.
Here is a list of 4 interesting ideas on how you can do this:
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Stay on top of ratings
Buyers rate products on websites they buy them from because it is the simple thing to do, like onAmazon. But they also use third-party websites to rant or write about their buying experiences. The fact that reviews are scattered on different platforms makes it hard to stay firmly at the top.But the goal can be accomplished with some effective organization.
For instance, if you’re using Yelp, you may get blindsided by just one negative review appearing first on the main page. In case you’re careless about monitoring, that single negative feedback may convince numerous prospects that your product isn’t for them.
Conduct thorough research on the services where people may be posting about your goods or services. Make a list of these sites and check them regularly. The second step would be to develop a system that responds to negative reviews and shares positivepoints about your company.
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Post both negative and positive reviews on social
Since customers love to read reviews, tweeting them, posting them on your Facebook page and adding them to other accounts boosts client engagement.It also encourages them to make a purchase.
No matter how tempting it seems, you shouldn’t respond to rave reviews only. Choose a few that are in the two or three-star range. Demonstrate to your visitors how you fixed the problem highlighted in the review.
At the same time, make sure to thank the reviewer for his honest feedback because engagement is directly proportional to authenticity.
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Delight loyal customers
Positive reviews lead to more customers. If your brand focuses on delighting its existing shoppers, you could turn them into loyal advocates, while also collecting positive testimonials from them on your services.
An article published on Forbes.com stated that more than 80% of a company’s future revenues would come from about 20% of its loyal consumer base. To satisfy your current customers’ needs, offer them special deals and discounts to help make them repeat-consumers and generate positive reviews of your products.
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Develop high-quality content
You can mine reviews to know how customers talk about your company. Revamp your keyword research and focus on the long-tail phrases people are using. Alternatively, you could also use your responses on review sites to further highlight those keywords.
Reviews help you build content that in turn boosts SEO.If one day you decide you publish a bunch of case studies, you can reach out to consumers who took the time to write detailed, glowing reviews of your brand.
Running low on social media fodder? Consumers love getting a shout-out from the brands they adore, and reposting reviews on social media sites is acceptable and the onlytolerated self-promotion.
All in all
Always keep in mind third-party review sites. They help consumers find out more about your company, especially with the rise in voice search. Use these platforms to your advantage to boost brand awareness, attract customers and establish legitimacy.
