Customer Feedback: Why Every Business Needs Them
Reviews from customers can act as the prepurchase research reporters of your buyers. In this blog, we will explore the benefits of having reviews, the ways reviews can actually drive sales, how you can easily create reviews, and the best ways to spotlight those reviews to give you the maximum exposure.
Just about everyone takes a look at reviews before they make a purchase. In fact, research shows that 81% of consumers only shop at stores that show reviews. That number goes up to 88% for consumers who are new to the product or service.
Reviews can help you connect with your customers on a deeper level. Showing that customers had a positive experience gives potential customers the trust they need to know that you are a good business. And lets face it, people like to feel good about buying from a favorite line of products.
As part of your customer feedback strategy, you will also want to ask for reviews. Doing so gives you valuable insights into the shopping experience you provided to that customer. You can then use those insights to improve on the customer experience as a whole. Over time, you will build up a large database of reviews that can help you drive more sales.
How Customer Reviews Drive Sales?
There are a number of ways reviews can actually drive sales. Let’s take a closer look at some of those ways:
- Creating Trust: Reviews from customers can create trust in the people looking at your reviews. Many customers are careful and picky about who they are buying from. Seeing that others were happy with the same product can create that trust.
- Offering Social Proof: Customers act on reviews. They serve as social proof that your business is worth buying from. Seeing that others have purchased and enjoyed the product puts the customer in a place where they feel comfortable making the purchase themselves.
- Solving Potential Issues: Some customers may have issues with your product or service. Reviews can help you spot those issues. And once you spot them, you can work on fixing them. This shows customers you care about providing a good experience.
- Sparking Engagement: Customers are more likely to leave a review if they had a good experience. Reviews show engagement from customers and a positive experience.
All of these things make it more likely that a customer will make a purchase from you. And that means more sales for your business.
Ways to Easily Create Reviews
There are a number of ways you can easily create reviews. Let’s look at some of those ways now:
- Ask For Reviews: Simply asking customers for reviews can be an easy way to get them. Ask them to share their experience in a review and let them know it helps you help future customers.
- Incentivize Reviews: Offering rewards for reviews can motivate customers to leave them. Consider giving customers discounts, loyalty points, or entries into giveaways when they leave reviews.
- Follow Up: Send follow-up emails asking for reviews a few days after the customer’s purchase. This can be done after every sale or at scheduled intervals.
- Make It Easy: Provide your customers with templates or quick review forms to make leaving a review simple.
- Feature Reviews: Show reviews on your website or social media to make customers know that you want them and to motivate them to leave more.
Even one review can help you get on the path to success. And getting those reviews is easier than you may think.
Spotlighting Reviews to Drive Sales
After going through the effort to get reviews, you will want to spotlight the ones that are favorable to your business. Whether they are reviews that are shared publicly or reviews that are shared with you directly, they can help drive sales. Showing reviews lets you show that customers love your products and can even enrich the customer community.
Here are some of the best ways to spotlight reviews:
- Show Them On The Website: Display reviews on product pages or dedicated testimonials pages. This gives new customers something to read that shows them why your products are great.
- Share On Social Media: Sharing reviews on social media and showing that your business really cares about customer feedback keeps your brand top of mind and shows potential customers how much you value customer satisfaction.
- Quote Reviews In Marketing: Incorporate customer reviews in marketing materials like emails, ad campaigns, and brochures. This can help you reach customers wherever they are.
- Highlight Customer Stories: If customers share stories showing how they used your product to achieve success, make those stories a part of your review strategy. This gives you proof that customers love your product.
- Thank Reviewing Customers: Show appreciation for customers who take the time to leave reviews by publicly thanking them. This makes customers feel good and encourages them to leave more reviews.
All of these methods are great ways to spotlight reviews. And the more you spotlight them, the more reviews you will get.
Final Thoughts on How to Create a Customer Review Strategy
Your customers are the ones who can help you get all of the sales your business needs. So it is important to get their feedback and turn that feedback into positive reviews.
Since most customers will look to reviews to guide their purchasing decision, being there or showing up in their feed gives you an immediate advantage. Customers trust businesses that provide great customer experiences. Showing reviews can also help you improve the customer experience.
Making a customer review strategy gives you the opportunity to drive sales while also making customers feel good about buying from you.
By the end of this blog, you will know exactly how to create a customer review strategy that gets customers checking your products off their shopping lists.
Tread Lightly. Go Green. Stay Safe.
Nurul Afsar is a seasoned SEO expert with a decade of experience under his belt. He has a deep understanding of search engine algorithms and a proven track record of delivering outstanding results for his clients. Afsar specializes in technical SEO, on-page and off-page optimization techniques, including keyword research, link building, and content creation. He has experience working with a wide range of industries and is well-versed in the latest SEO trends and best practices. He is passionate about helping businesses succeed online and is dedicated to delivering measurable results for his clients.