In the highly competitive world of products and services, one factor that allows you to stand ahead of the competition are the good reviews. It has been estimated that up to 97 percent of online shoppers go through the review of the products before making their choice, making it more important for any business to get as much positive reviews as they can. In addition, detailed reviews are more helpful than just the ratings fixed by stars.
You might feel that getting such reviews are easier said than done and needs much time and effort. But there are some simple steps that can be taken to develop the number of reviews that your brand has across platforms. So sit back and take a look at some of the best methods that will earn you the necessary good reviews.
Increase your footprint
It is high time that you think beyond beyond Facebook and Google while enhancing you online footprint. A larger online presence will definitely make the business more accessible to the customers and will also help the reliability index. While majority of the customers look to Google for the reviews, utilising the other sites will provide you with a chance to engage with a larger number of audiences. Moreover, it makes you more visible for the old as well as the new customers.
In a recent survey, 42 percent of users have preferred Google for the best source of reviews while 34 percent have shown preference for Yelp. Facebook, the most widely used social media platform has been preferred by only 7 percent of the users as a source of reviews. The positive reviews on a variety of external sites create a much larger impact on the customers than the reviews in your own site.
Ask customers for a review
You can send mails and SMS messages to the customers and ask them to provide a review for the item that they have purchased. Be careful not to go overboard with this as it can annoy the customer and it is important that you have a planned tone and text for delivering the right kind of messages. It must be made sure that the customers get directed to the right page through a direct link, where the review can be easily posted. You should also get your timing right and ask the customer quickly enough after the purchase.
Responding to the reviews
Don’t get resentful by a bad review which you feel is unjust as responding to the reviewers in a calm and professional manner is also an important part. The researches indicate that leaving a response to the reviews help to develop user engagement. Your response will also allow the customers to see that the business has an active and responsible management. Make sure that you respond to the positive reviews too and setting up a review response plan to customize the way you response to various reviews can be a good idea.
Share the best reviews
Sharing the best reviews on your website is another effective way of getting more reviews. It is also helpful in advertising for your business and will draw more customers. Generally when people see others leaving a review, they are more inclined to leave one themselves. This is also effective in building your brand value across the platforms.
The incentive factor
When you realise that the customer’s time is of value, you might think of offering some incentives to them for leaving a review. This can be in the form of discount coupons, gift cards or even the chance to win big prizes. You need to be careful while doing these because certain sites have strict policies against sellers influencing buyers for getting good reviews.
To conclude
Trust is hard to earn in business and generally, consumers are sceptical about buying a product based solely on the information given by the seller. Along with a good content and product descriptions, reviews play an equally important role in influencing the customers. Implement these strategies, respond and learn from both negative and positive reviews and you will be able to move ahead in the game of reviews.
