Getting reviews from your customers is a valuable way to build your online presence and reputation. It gives visitors to your site the confidence in your service, information or products. Reviews feature in the top reasons for choosing one supplier over another in the customers mind and so this can form an integral part of making conversions online. Online, 93% of customers state that reviews impacts their decision to buy or not. Below we go over are some actions you can take to encourage reviews from your customers.

Provide everyone with exceptional customer service:

It is essential to provide everyone with exceptional customer service. Their experience on site, how easy it is to navigate your site, the checkout process and any communication must be first rate. If customers are happy with your product or service, they will be more likely to leave positive reviews and essentially visit your site again.

Make it easy:

Getting people to fill something in is not an easy task! Often websites reward or motivate visitors to do this by giving discounts or incentives, but a review with no motivation is always going to be more valuable to a site visitor. Providing multiple channels for customers to leave reviews can significantly help. This includes your website, social media pages, or review platforms such as Google. Make sure to include relevant links or instructions on how to leave a review to help stop any potential barrier to filling this in.

Talking of offering incentives:

Consider offering incentives to customers who leave reviews, these could be discounts on future purchases, entries into a prize draw or free gifts. This can encourage customers to leave reviews and reward them for doing so. These types of incentives can make your site a regular place that customer visits.

Ask:

Don’t forget to ask customers for reviews, a simple one, but it’s very often over-looked. Whether this is done in person, through an email, or on any social media platforms,  ensure to always be polite and make it clear that their feedback is important and valued.

Respond to your reviewers:

Always respond to reviews in a timely and professional manner, good or bad! This shows the customer the significance their feedback has on your business and that you are committed to providing excellent customer service, rectifying issues and most importantly satisfying the customer.

Getting reviews is an ongoing process and it will take time to build up a substantial number of reviews. However, by providing excellent customer service, making it easy for customers to leave reviews, asking for feedback, offering incentives, and responding to reviews, you can start to build a strong online reputation and attract new customers.

What makes a good review?

So what does make a good review? Overall, a good customer review should provide an honest and helpful assessment of the product or service, while also being easy to read and understand. Below we break this down:

Accuracy:

Accurately describe the product or service, including its strengths and weaknesses.
The review should be based on the customer’s actual experience with the product or service.

Detail:

Should be detailed and informative.
Provide specific examples of what the customer liked/disliked about the product or service.

Clarity:

Should be easy to read and understand.
Language should be clear and concise, and the review should be well structured.

Authentic:

Should be authentic and genuine.
Avoid exaggerating or misrepresenting their experience with the product or service.

Relevance:

Relevant to the needs and interests of other customers.
Address the most important aspects of the product or service.
Provide insights that would be useful to other potential customers.

Fair:

Should be fair and balanced.
Acknowledge both the positives and negatives of the product or service.
Avoid being overly biased or one-sided.

Positive customer reviews can signal trust. This can be in a number of ways, but each can be critical in ensuring your business is chosen over a competitor. Remember trust is a crucial factor in developing long-lasting relationships with customers.

Firstly, reviews provide social proof. When customers leave positive reviews, it serves as social proof that your business is legitimate, trustworthy, and provides value. Other potential customers are more likely to trust your business when they see that others have had positive experiences.

It provides quality assurance for the customer. Positive reviews can also signal that your business consistently delivers high-quality products or services and when customers repeatedly praise your offerings, it once again signals that your business is reliable and trustworthy.

Being authentic is key in giving the customer confidence in your business. Positive reviews can also signal that your business is authentic and is used to being transparent. When customers leave detailed, honest reviews, it shows that your business is willing to receive feedback and that you’re not hiding anything.

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