Whether it is McDonald’s or your local cafe, every outlet, store, business or enterprise uses a marketing strategy to build its presence and increase sales.
Nearly everyone reads reviews in today’s internet-based environment. In actuality, 84% of those who read them place the same level of trust in them as they would a firsthand endorsement. The typical consumer is willing to pay 31% extra at a store with positive reviews.
A profusion of positive words can have a meaningful impact on your business’s revenue by encouraging purchases and building a base of loyal customers.
Customer reviews have the power to make or break a company’s reputation, so encouraging happy clients to post about their positive experiences, particularly on social media platforms, can boost your brand’s image.
Positive client feedback can be an effective marketing tool for your business because it allows you to communicate with people right away. Many companies have begun to take the customer review approach very seriously.
Significance of positive review
1. Increase in sales
The psychological phenomenon known as “social proof” describes how people make decisions and judgments based on the behaviours of others as a group. In this situation, reading positive reviews from previous customers who made purchases gives consumers an assurance that selecting a well-reviewed product is a wise decision.
In essence, individuals seek customer reviews rather than slanted advertising from companies to determine whether a good or service is beneficial. Reviews are 12 times more appreciated than other marketing resources, proving the strength of social evidence.
2. Brand trust
In 2019, the size of the global e-commerce market was close to $3.5 trillion. Every category has a plethora of brands, but without a mechanism to confirm their dependability and quality, it might be difficult to determine which ones to trust.
Reviews can be one of the best possible things for brands who only operate in the online retail sector, even though handling a product is still the greatest way to determine its quality. Numerous evaluations that point to good products and services build brand trust.
3. Participate in SEO initiatives
Creating a web presence that is search engine friendly can take a lot of time and effort. Fortunately, client testimonials can help you accomplish your goals without you having to do anything.
In their reviews, buyers frequently include keywords like the names of the products, which increases the amount of online content that is related to you. Your name is more likely to show up when online users search for keywords relevant to your store, and they are more likely to see your favourable reviews.
4. Support client decision-making
The decision-making process for customers is greatly complex when they shop online. As a result, before making a purchase, most consumers spend far more time and effort analyzing products, reading reviews, and comparing products to one another.
Reviews are essential to the decision-making process since they give customers information about the product’s substance, size, and shape.
For instance, a product can appear in an image to be too small to satisfy customer needs, but user reviews that more properly describe size can reassure a hesitant shopper.
5. Make solving issues possible
Believe it or not, not every review is favourable, and that’s okay. Reviews might help you spot problems that need to be fixed because no business is perfect.
However, if you come across numerous unfavourable reviews with the same issues, you might have an issue that has to be addressed.
For instance, it may be time to invest in developing a simpler, more effective buying process if 15 distinct reviews compliment your products but criticize your cumbersome checkout process.
How can a positive review pivot your marketing game?
1. Raise brand awareness
Your brand should be present as widely as possible online so that buyers are aware of your brand, your products as well as your goodwill. It helps in online reputation management. Reviews on numerous websites will help you out and boost your presence naturally.
For instance, positive reviews can guarantee that your brand appears at the top of the list when buyers search for businesses in your sector.
2. Choose keywords that best describe your goods and services
Although you certainly have some keywords in mind for your firm, this does not necessarily indicate that the terms and expressions you connect with it are the same ones that your clients would use.
You may fine-tune the keywords you employ in your SEO operations by reviewing reviews to reflect the terms and phrases that your customers use the most frequently.
3. Draw attention to favourable reviews through influencer and PR campaigns
Displaying good ratings is effective when you have them. Let your reviews speak for your items rather than claiming that they are the best.
A great approach to guarantee that your exceptional reputation is widely known is to include reviews on your page, in media releases, in content marketing, or, if your budget permits, in advertising supported by influencers.
In the reviews, buyers frequently include keywords like the names of the products, which increases the amount of online content that is related to you.
4. Support client decision-making
The decision-making process for customers is greatly complex when they shop online. As a result, before making a purchase, most consumers spend far more time and effort analyzing products and customer reviews and comparing products to one another.
Reviews are essential to the decision-making process since they give customers information about the product’s substance, size, and shape.
How can you receive positive reviews?
You may get more clients to leave reviews online by using strategies to get them to do so.
1. Request feedback
Sometimes all it takes is a simple request to convince a customer to post a review. Simply asking for feedback, whether on your payment page, as a pop-up after a sale, or as an email request after an item dispatch has been confirmed, can make a significant difference.
2. Make it simple for clients to submit reviews
You won’t likely receive much feedback if you have them jump through hoops to offer you a review. Make it as simple as you can instead.
3. Incentivize your customers
Offering special coupons and free shipping in return for reviews can be a successful strategy because consumers adore these benefits. The cost to you is little, and a good foundation of reviews can more than pay for itself.
Simply send an email requesting feedback in exchange for a little reward after a purchase. It might take the shape of a coupon for a discount on a subsequent purchase, a promotional code for free delivery, or even enrollment in a rewards scheme.
4. Submit client surveys
Surveys are a terrific method to get input on all aspects of your business, including those that clients might not think to mention.
Sending a follow-up email after a sale can provide you with useful feedback you can use to improve your website by asking clients to score aspects such as site navigation, the checkout process, shipment time, and product quality.
Additionally, by including an area for comments, you may quickly and easily compile a set of testimonials to display.
5. Request client feedback.
Responses to reviews are one way that customers can feel heard. Google appreciates this as well because responding to reviews might help local SEO campaigns.
6. Automate the customer review
It’s not necessary to review requests manually. You can ask customers for reviews while they are still thinking about your products by setting up an automatic email that is sent out a week or two following a purchase.
Cookies can also be used to track website users and create pop-ups based on that information. These strategies demand little effort from you but can nevertheless yield significant profits.
How to use positive reviews for brand building?
1. Share client testimonials on social media sites
When it comes to distributing consumer feedback on social media platforms, the options are virtually limitless.
Popular social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn allow customers to share their experiences or provide evaluations of your goods or services.
Share favourable client testimonials on your company’s social media profiles on sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., to amass and influence them.
You can retweet them, highlight them in your Facebook or Instagram feeds or stories, and write a LinkedIn article.
Highlighting the reasons why people adore you, including client images and videos, will increase your company’s legitimacy and believability. This tactic is free and simple.
2. Place customer reviews on your homepage
This is one of the most well-known locations where businesses publish client reviews.
This is a straightforward yet effective strategy to encourage website visitors to keep exploring your site and, eventually, your goods and services.
3. Include a page for customer reviews on your website
The finest spokespersons for your business are your satisfied clients, who can best demonstrate the worth of your brand and what you have to offer.
The simplest and easiest approach to allow potential customers to comprehend feedback about your product from current customers is to have a dedicated customer review page on your website.
By demonstrating why others adore you, you can encourage certain people to learn more about your goods and services.
A forum to show how other people have benefited from your goods or services is provided by your customer review page. This makes it a very effective instrument for establishing trust and persuading potential buyers to act.
4. Include client testimonials in marketing emails
Every day, more than 294 billion emails are sent, according to research by Unbounce. A typical person receives 72 emails daily and can spend up to 30% of their working day browsing their inboxes.
Your customers must appreciate your marketing emails in light of this. Utilizing client testimonials in your targeted marketing emails may influence your target audience to purchase on your website.
When people sign up as your clients, they also anticipate receiving the same email.
5. Utilize client testimonials in search ads
You are not just ranked by search engines according to how well you enhance your posting. They also keep an eye on what others have to say about you.
These evaluations might demonstrate to potential clients how well you meet their expectations. Additionally, consistently publishing new material can help you gain Google Seller Ratings and Rich Snippets, which can improve your index reflectivity.
Conclusion
Online reviews offer unbiased opinions on goods and services, making them a powerful word-of-mouth marketing tactic in the digital age. While favourable ratings can increase sales and establish a company’s credibility, poor reviews or a lack of reviews can have the opposite effect.
To succeed in the cutthroat e-commerce industry and put yourself far ahead of the competition, it’s essential to understand the value of reviews and how to use them to enhance your brand trust.
