Customer reviews: How to get more of them and how to exploit the good ones

Customer reviews are essential to any business, especially in today's digital age, where word-of-mouth can travel quickly online. However, getting customers to leave reviews can be challenging, and knowing how to leverage positive reviews can be equally daunting. This article will explore strategies for getting more customer reviews and how to leverage positive ones to benefit your business.

Why Are Customer Reviews Important?

Customer reviews play a significant role in the decision-making process for potential customers. In fact, 79% of customers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. Additionally, Google and other search engines prioritize businesses with high ratings and reviews. Companies with more positive reviews are thus more likely to appear at the top of the search results, making them more visible to potential customers.

How To Get More Customer Reviews

Ask Buyers To Leave a Review

Asking customers to leave a review is the simplest and most effective way to get more reviews. Most satisfied customers are happy to leave a positive review, but they may not think to do so on their own. Encourage buyers to leave a review by asking them at the end of a transaction or through follow-up emails, making sure to thank them for their feedback. 

Make Leaving a Review Easy

Make leaving a review as easy as possible for your customers. Include links to your review platforms on your website, social media pages, and email signatures. Ensure that the review platforms are easy to use and navigate. 

Send Follow-Up Emails

Follow-up emails are an excellent way to remind customers to leave a review. Sending an email to your review platform shortly after a transaction is completed can prompt the customer to leave feedback while the experience is still fresh in their mind. 

Offer Multiple Review Platforms

Offering multiple review platforms can increase the chances of customers leaving a review, as some may prefer to leave a review on one platform over another. Having multiple options can also help spread reviews across different platforms, increasing your visibility.

Incentivize Reviews

Consider incentivizing reviews by offering a 5-10% discount or coupon to customers who leave a review. This can help motivate buyers to leave a review and show you value their feedback. Be sure to disclose any incentives you offer, as some platforms have strict guidelines on incentivizing reviews.

Respond to Reviews

Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, can show you value your customers' feedback. When responding to positive reviews, be sure to thank the customer and let them know their input is appreciated. 

Acknowledging their effort and showing that you care can help build a strong relationship with the customer and encourage them to leave additional reviews in the future. This can be especially important in certain industries. 

How To Exploit Positive Reviews

Share Reviews on Social Media

Sharing positive reviews on social media is an excellent way to showcase your business and attract new customers. Create graphics featuring positive reviews and post them on all of your social media pages. 

Use Reviews in Marketing Materials

Positive reviews can be leveraged in marketing materials such as email campaigns and print advertisements. Consider using snippets of reviews as testimonials to build trust with potential customers and increase your credibility.

This can be especially important in certain industries. For example, in the insurance industry gaining customer trust can make all the difference in a company's profitability. If the customer doesn’t trust that an insurance company will cover their expenses in the event of an accident, they won’t work with them. But reviews from prior customers talking about real-life occurrences of how insurance companies covered their expenses in past incidents will help to secure trust with future customers. Again, customers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. 

Respond to Reviews

As mentioned earlier, responding to reviews can also be beneficial for exploiting positive reviews. When responding to positive comments, be sure to highlight specific details mentioned in the review that showcase the strengths of your business. 

Use Reviews To Improve

Positive reviews can also help identify areas of your business that are excelling. Use this feedback to identify what customers like and what is working well. Consider implementing changes that can help improve your business even further. 

Respond to Negative Reviews

While it may be tempting to ignore negative reviews, responding to them can also be beneficial. Responding to negative reviews shows that you value feedback, are committed to addressing any issues, and are ready to apologize for any negative experiences and make things right. 

Encourage Customers To Update Their Reviews

Encouraging customers to update their reviews after you have addressed any issues can also be beneficial. It shows that you take customer feedback seriously and are committed to addressing any problems that may arise. Additionally, updated reviews can help improve your overall rating and increase the visibility of positive reviews.

Conclusion

Customer reviews are a valuable resource for businesses of all sizes. They provide feedback on the quality of products or services offered and can help attract new buyers. Getting customers to leave reviews can be challenging, but by implementing some of the strategies outlined in this article, businesses can increase the number of reviews they receive and thus attract new customers to their products or services.