Here’s a fact that might surprise you – your business’s best sales rep is your last customer. Most bosses assume it’s the person who is driven to capture the sale no matter what, but the stats say otherwise. More than 80% of people trust online reviews more than a personal recommendation, while almost two-thirds of shoppers categorize them as trustworthy. This fantastic post explains in more detail if you want to learn why.
Therefore, raising brand awareness via reviews is an accessible and effective way to promote your company. Of course, if this is your first time, you won’t know where to begin. With that in mind, here are the main areas for entrepreneurs to concentrate on when leveraging reviews.
#1: Form a Relationship with a Third-Party
The problem that faces most companies is that customers need to trust you before they move forward. As a result, the reviews must be reliable and consistent if they are going to invest time, money and energy in your products and services. By cultivating a relationship with a third-party, as online casinos do, you can promote your solutions and add confidence in equal measure.
Online casinos are the masters of using review and comparison sites to raise awareness of their brands because they understand the importance of standing out from the crowd. Review platforms do this by highlighting the best services and explaining the pros and cons. Here’s a great article that shows how a friendly comparison website does all of the above for one of the world’s leading industries – online casinos. Potential customers can use the page to explore which casinos offer games (and bonuses) from the most revered game providers, in order to make an informed decision as to where they want to play.
#2: Get Your Timing Right
Think about it – if you ask for a review at the wrong moment, you’ll receive negative feedback. The key is to identify when customers are pleased or happy with the experience, and then try and capture a review that will propel the brand forwards and make the company appear professional. More on that here. Thankfully, there are organic signs that highlight shoppers are in love with your products.
For example, lots of businesses ask for feedback after securing a solid conversion, such as a sale. However, you might go one step further by waiting for a re-purchase or re-order before initiating contact. Alternatively, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out if they mention you on social media or refer more customers in your direction.
#3: Find Non-Invasive Ways to Obtain Them
Nothing is more important than getting reviews, not when 50 or more customer posts results in a 4.6% increase in conversion rates. This excellent article outlines it in greater detail. The pertinent thing to remember is that you have to inquire about them constantly, yet you can’t annoy shoppers by getting under their feet.
What’s the middle ground? There is a couple, and you should choose the method that works for your business, i.e. it’s useful on a big scale. Preventing needless mistakes is always easier when employees are trained, so providing seminars and meetings on how to subtly ask for feedback is an option. Of course, the internet can do the heavy-lifting as long you can encourage people to click on links after the experience is over.
Positive customer reviews are the lifeblood of any organization. How will you implement them in your strategy?
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