Customer reviews are one of the most powerful ways to drive sales, boost your brand and validate your reputation
We’ve all been there. Whether it’s Tripadvisor, Amazon, Google Reviews, JustEat – the first thing you do when you’re buying from a business that you’re not super familiar with is looking up their reviews. If a product or business has 5 stars, you feel so much more confident buying from them, right?
This psychology is exactly why you need to get reviews for your business. Before we explore HOW, let’s delve into WHY.
Why you need good reviews
- According to a Trustpilot article, over 90% of consumers say that reading online reviews is part of their purchase decision process, with three quarters of shoppers stating that they trust reviews as much as personal recommendations! Brand trust is is one of the core building blocks of any successful business. Customers want to know what to expect, so the more reviews (and better reviews) you can get, the better. They feel like they know what to expect when buying from you, so will then trust your product and brand.
- Customers might spend more money. Research suggests that consumers are willing to spend 31% more on a business with excellent reviews. This is great for any small business, so it’s time to get started!
Where to start getting reviews
There are plenty of review sites, with many offering various services to support businesses that want to connect to customer feedback. The most popular ones include:
- Google / Google My Business. This is a free service that helps you attract and engage customers, gives you a presence in Google searches (which could help you increase your website hits) and on Google Maps, and allows you to respond to any reviews you may have on there. Also – we all Google, right?! Don’t miss out on this easy way of marketing and boosting your business.
- Trustpilot. This is another popular review platform and is especially good for service-based businesses. Click here to find out more.
- Yelp is useful for in-person shops, such as pop-up shops, beauty salons and suchlike. Click here to find out more.
- Feefo offers a service to target your ideal customers and boost your business, with various marketing opportunities alongside their review system. Click here for more.
How to ask for reviews
Encourage reviews in as many places as possible – if you don’t ask, you don’t get! 68% of customers will leave a review if they’re asked. This includes:
- Your selling platform e.g. Etsy / Folksy / your website. Set up an automated message to remind customers after a purchase – most sites like Etsy do this automatically, but make sure you have something similar on your website too.
- Invoices and e-receipts. If you sell services or products outside of the usual selling platforms and have to invoice people (e.g. for commissions), make sure you request them to leave a review!
- Social Media. Ask customers to share photos or tag you, post reviews on your grid or Stories, share customer photos and feedback – they love to see it! It will also make your customers feel valued and a part of your brand.
- Emails. Make sure you leave a link in your emails so that people can easily leave a review. Here at Pedddle we often ask for Google or Trustpilot reviews to boost our business.
- Packaging. Whenever you post a product out, make sure it mentions leaving a review, whether that’s on your packing note, business cards, or even just a hand written note – as Tesco say, every little helps!
Managing negative reviews
Negative feedback is part and parcel of running a business – it can happen to the best of us. It does not make you a bad business owner, and the possibility of getting a bad review should not stop you from seeking reviews at all.
In fact, Trustpilot research found that ‘68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad ones’ – showing that it can even be a good thing! If you can show customers how you handle bad reviews, it also demonstrates to them what you’d do if something goes wrong.
Here’s what to do if you get a bad review:
- Respond quickly. Make sure you regularly check for new reviews, and respond as soon as possible to them. If they are negative, don’t ignore them as this will only exacerbate things – it’s important to calm and reassure the customer and make them feel heard. A swift, professional response is key.
- Don’t take it personally – but do be a person! Don’t be tempted to get into an online argument, but it is natural for emotions to run high. If you feel upset, wait until you’ve calmed down before you respond. It’s so important to respond in a professional manner with a level head, but show that you do care. For example, share how you’re sorry to hear that they had a poor experience, and that you’d like to resolve the issue quickly.
- Take it offline. Ideally, you’d like to remove this issue from the public eye and message them privately. Perhaps ask if you can email them to resolve the issue, or DM on social media. More often than not, a customer will just want to be heard by you, and will amend or even remove the review if the issue is dealt with swiftly.
- All feedback is good feedback! Any kind of feedback gives you an opportunity to learn. Just as positive reviews let you know what’s popular, negative reviews can highlight the areas that your business needs attention.
We hope this helps you gain the confidence to ask for those reviews! Good luck boosting your business.