85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. In fact, recent research confirmed that purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than that of a product with no reviews.
Anyone can shout from the rooftops and claim that they’re the best at what they do. But, without validation, it doesn’t really mean that much.
When real consumers talk about their experience with a business, it allows people to make an informed choice. And consumers appreciate that – 82% consider user-generated reviews extremely valuable.
There’s no doubt about it – it’s time for your business to start collecting and publishing reviews.
Why are reviews so important?
Online reviews are crucial to your business’s success. Here’s why:
(1) They’re an essential marketing tool
Since the advent of online marketing, reviewing has become a vital tool for developing positive brand identity and credibility.
(2) They highlight your strengths
Every business has competition and, perhaps more than ever before, you need to find a way to stand out. Reviews will show what you’re good at and help to promote these assets.
(3) They help you build credibility
Business websites will only ever contain positive information, so reviews are crucial for showing an independent, unbiased opinion.
(4) Brand awareness
Reviews help potential customers find and choose you. If they don’t already know your business, they’ll likely discover you through online research, and this will include reading reviews.
(5) Competitor research
Reviews can also be valuable when it comes to checking out how your competitors are. Do their reviews contain feedback that could be useful for your own business?
Where do online reviews appear?
Your website is a great place to showcase client feedback and testimonials. It’s often the first place a new customer will begin their research, so make sure you have some quotes in an eye-catching position.
Independent review platforms, like those below, are increasingly used for consumer research:
- Feefo
- Which?
- Trustpilot
You can also find specialist review platforms:
- Doctify (medical)
- I Want Great Care (medical)
- Real Self (plastic surgery)
- G2 Crowd (software)
- KiyOh (e-commerce)
How to collect customer reviews
A good time to request a review from your customer is as a part of your after-care or after-sales process – this may be face to face or as part of a follow-up email or letter.
Various reports suggest that almost three-quarters of customers will post a review when directly asked to do so.
Larger review platforms (such as Feefo and Trustpilot) offer a facility for sending an email directly to your customers with an invitation to post a review.
This takes the onus away from your administration team while directing your customers to your review platform of choice.
Let’s get started!
If you don’t have a customer review system in place, you need to consider starting one soon.
Need help? We can recommend the best reviewing platforms for your business and design and implement a process for requesting reviews.
Your customers can be your best ambassadors – make sure you take advantage of this.
