The modern audience is paying less and less attention to advertising materials that have flooded the web. The banner blindness that has developed because of this simply does not allow conveying information through standard promos. Even if users are really interested in your or similar services and products, most of them will not click on links in obvious advertisements.
But people trust live reviews and choose products with honest and detailed reviews from ordinary consumers. Therefore, it is important to support those customers who want to share their experience of interacting with the brand. Also, you might want to embed business reviews from Google to your homepage or to some special review section on your website.
Feedback, whether positive or negative, helps promote a brand. It shows your strengths and weaknesses, helping to understand in which direction the company should develop in the future.
Reviews and feedback: why it’s so important
Research clearly demonstrates the importance of keeping customers active in the ratings and reviews section. 99% of people study this section before making a purchase, and 67% purposefully search for reviews on the Internet, trying to compare information from several sources. And all because organic reviews are perceived by the audience on a par with the recommendations of friends. That is, the level of trust in natural brand feedback is perhaps higher than in any other promotion tools. And this means that you simply cannot but work on your reputation.
There were also studies on the topic of trust in promotional materials and organic reviews. They all agree that reviews are a key element of the sales funnel.
Where to work with reputation
Regardless of the type of activity, companies need to keep customers active in reviews and comments on all thematic resources. Because the lack of reactions from buyers can signal that the brand has closed or at least abandoned work with the audience.
At the same time, the emotional coloring of reviews can significantly affect the perception of a brand by consumers. Therefore, you need to track them and respond in a timely manner. Thank customers for positive comments and try to solve the problems of those who are dissatisfied with products or services. The right approach to working with the audience allows you to completely neutralize the effect of negative reviews, turning them to your advantage.
Having a presence in mapping services makes sense even for companies operating exclusively online. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to receive and serve customers on the spot. It is enough just to indicate the current address where your office is located for employees working on current tasks.
In addition to comments and reviews, don’t forget to also keep track of your organization’s rating in map services. Because users tend to pay attention to brands with four or five stars. Whereas many do not consider commercial outlets with a score below four at all. Try to motivate customers to give higher ratings after visiting physical outlets. In the conditions of active competition, a high rating on map services will help your business win the fight for the target audience.
Active work with reviews helps successful companies to increase the level of customer loyalty and grow in search results for geo-dependent queries.
How reviews enter the sales funnel
When consumers describe what they liked or dissatisfied with, they not only provide you with feedback, but also help new audiences become more familiar with your offerings. By sharing their experience in reviews and comments, users help build brand awareness and reputation. They indirectly participate in the formation of a sales funnel for a new audience, acting as social proof confirming the value of products.
Don’t forget that reviews are treated equally with the recommendations of friends. Therefore, it is very important to take into account such touches in order to form an effective long-term strategy.
Now that the effectiveness of reviews is undeniable, it’s time to talk about how you can contribute to them:
- A testimonial form on your site is a tool worth adding to every commercial resource. The form should contain a minimum number of fields: contact information for feedback and a field for the feedback itself. It is also recommended to add a rating system (for example, stars) for clarity. Do not forget to monitor the content of the feedback and respond to each request.
- Email / sms – once every few months you can ask subscribers from your own database to provide feedback. As a rule, the proposal is wrapped in the form of a short questionnaire with standard questions and the opportunity to write a short comment.
- QR code is a relatively new tool that helps to gather an audience offline. People see a code to submit reviews for a product or service and can quickly compose a message for the brand. Such codes are often placed on the product or instructions for it, and for services – in the ad in a prominent place.
- Cashback and bonuses – regular feedback is impossible without motivation tools.
- Promotions and contests are another great way to get a surge in audience activity and collect a large amount of brand feedback. Competitions not only motivate users to try harder, but also help improve the image and recognition of your brand.
Samplers for reviews are a great option for companies that have already collected a sufficient customer base. If you’re releasing a new line of products, offer to try them out for free in exchange for long and detailed reviews.
Conclusion
No matter how beautiful and thoughtful the site is, the presence of reviews is one of the main criteria that the buyer is guided by when choosing a product. An experienced user can describe the important advantages and disadvantages of a particular product even better than a professional consultant can. And most importantly, he will do this based on personal experience, which is very important for a potential buyer who reads this information. That is why customer reviews are an important part of a modern online store and at the same time one of the indicators of the seller’s attention to customers.
