Maintaining a positive online reputation has become extremely important for businesses. The online reviews directly affect your sales volume and reputation among potential buyers. Online reviews contribute significantly to the buyer’s final decision and overall can have a significant impact on your revenue. Having more positive reviews online will make your business trustworthy, and similarly, negative reviews will make your business seem unreliable.
Stats show that consumers spend up to 31% more on a business that has positive online reviews. And in case you have negative reviews online, you will lose 86% of potential buyers!
But worry not, we have tailored a detailed guide on how you can get the most out of online reviews. Below are 5 ways for you to remember.
1) Request your customers for a review
One of the common mistakes that businesses make is not asking the customer for feedback on their purchase. Happy customers will eagerly give you an honest review if you request them. One way would be to ask, “Can you please share your experience with our product on our website”?
Moreover, you can also send them a follow-up email or a thank you note, including a link to the review site. Stats reveal that 7 out of 10 buyers will take out time to review the product.
Keep in mind to only send a review request once the consumer is satisfied with the final product. The feedback will help you generate organic reviews and make your business trustworthy. And in the long run, it will improve your search rankings and, therefore, sales.
2) Reward customers for providing feedback
Offering incentives to the buyers will boost the number of reviews on your product. You can start with coupons, vouchers, or discounts as a token of appreciation for writing feedback.
While this strategy is suitable in the short term, it cannot be sustained forever. Ideally, a business would look for organic and honest reviews that they can use to improve. An introduction of the loyalty program is a good option a business can opt for.
Zappos is a perfect example, which offers points on purchases that can be translated into vouchers.
3) Respond to negative reviews
Negative reviews can harm your business tremendously, especially if you are a startup or a small business. However, if you respond to their critics diligently, you will prevent any damage to your online reputation. Responding to reviews will also make you more trustworthy and professional.
When you engage with your reviewers, you establish a human connection and assist the customer in a way that will help them change their minds. You can respond by providing them with a solution to their problem and then ask them to reconsider their review. But in case you are unable to do so, you can apologize politely, thanking them for a review.
Beware that some reviews might be dishonest, a tactic used by competitors to defame the company. Responding to them appropriately and debunking their feedback will help you maintain your reputation.
Replying to reviews will show the potential buyers that you care. It will transform your negative into a positive one.
4) Share reviews on social channels
Exhibiting great reviews can help you spread awareness about how good your product is. Show it on your website, social media accounts, and marketing emails. Moreover, they can also be used in brochures, magazines, and newsletters.
Showcasing the snippet of your good review will translate into more sales and thus more positive reviews. It will also make your business trustworthy backed with a foundation of good reviews.
5) Make reviewing easy
Time is precious. Most customers won’t bother reviewing if it requires a huge effort. To get the maximum amount of reviews, you will have to make the process simple.
You can do this by providing them with links to the review site or ask them to write it briefly in the chat. Not only will it save the customer’s time, but, also increase the number of good reviews.
Final thoughts
Remember, the most crucial factor to get positive reviews is your product. If your product solves problems and adds value to consumer’s life, then you’d automatically attract great feedback. With a good product and exceptional customer service, you can transform your business.
