While it can be a rather nerve-racking experience asking your customers for their feedback on a business product or service that you provide, it can be a great way to boost your sales and drive traffic to your location. Feedback provides you with information that will allow you to improve what you are offering and make sure you meet your customers’ expectations. It is also an invaluable part of the marketing mix. While it might feel that reviews are just a way for customers to feedback to you, they also provide valuable insights into your products and services for millions of potential customers.
People are keen to have other people’s opinions and know what they think. This is particularly true if people are solely shopping online and cannot see and touch the products in real life. Someone else’s lived experience tells another customer a good deal. The weight and feel of a physical item are equally important as its looks. The functionality of a service or tech product needs to be experienced to be fully understood. Exactly which review sites people go to does, to a large extent, depend on the sector of the market you are in. However, if your business is reviewed on big-named sites like Google, Yelp, Trust Pilot, or Trip Advisor, for example, potential customers can feel reassured that they are able to get an all-around view of what you are offering.
There are multiple means of getting reviews and a growing plethora of sites where reviews will be published. These fall into peer-to-peer reviews and professional review/comparison sites.
In the past, might have only known what a book had in store for you and if it was worth reading or not by what the literary critic in your favoured newspaper told you. Now you can simply look to see what someone on GoodReads has to say about it or check what other Amazon purchasers have thought. The newspaper restaurant critic might still hold great sway in the reputation of a chef or their restaurant but it is just as likely that people will check out what fellow diners have said on Trip Advisor. In the same way, if someone is looking to place an online bet they will want to know that they are depositing their money with a reputable company. If someone is looking for new casino sites they are going to check out which the best ones are before placing their bets. Using a third-party site allows customers to compare all the features and options across a range of providers.
The whole review process is circular. When a customer buys from you, you ask them to post a review by emailing them a link. This review will appear on one of the major sites which you then embed onto your site. Future customers who land on your site can see what existing customers thought about your company. In addition, the people who started their journey on a review or comparison site will be directed to your website or company because of previous customers’ experiences.
Social media is a key part of this process. All of these areas are interlinked. By having a strong presence on social media platforms, you can ask people who follow you for their feedback. Facebook actually has a review feature that you can make work for your business. You simply have to make sure you have a brand page set up and toggle the reviews on options. Then the social media feed is embedded on your website and helps to keep the page fresh and up to date.
Reply to reviews politely and in a measured way. Don’t get involved in unprofessional arguments, much better to refer unfair reviews to the team on the third-party review site. Using reviews properly will make your team feel great and really be a boost to your business.
