Client Reviews
Reviews, good or bad, have a tendency to spread quickly. It is becoming increasingly important to ensure you manage your customer's feedback correctly.
Why are reviews so important?
91% of consumers say that positive reviews make them more likely to use a business. 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses. 76% trust online reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends.
Encouraging customers to review your products and services help build your brand’s trust and credibility following a steady flow of glowing reviews. When a customer leaves a positive review they are also more likely to leave & share a review on external platforms such as Google, Yell & Facebook. This increases brand visibility and helps keep your brand socially recognised – great for potential customers and search engines.
How can you collect reviews?
There are various ways you can collect reviews from your customers. Getting customers to leave reviews about your products and services on Facebook and Google are a must – both are easily accessible, free to use and easily shared. If you are in a niche such as hospitality or in a specific trade, you may also consider Tripadvisor or Checkatrade. If you are an ecommerce business or offer products for sale on your website, product reviews are a great way to convert customers – it is thought customers read an average of 10 reviews before deciding whether or not to purchase a product.
Do reviews help with SEO?
Yes. Reviews provide direct and indirect SEO benefits. They show search engines that users are interacting with your website and brand. The users are creating fresh, unique content for you and may include tags or longtail keywords your website may not currently rank for. When set up correctly, Google may also include visible star ratings about your products and services in the search results – see schema markup.
Add a personal touch by replying
If someone takes the time to review your business, it’s advisable you offer a thoughtful response. Avoid sounding too robotic but a unique “thank you” can go a long way to ensuring that the customer returns. Google also favours business that actively use their review platform.
Can you remember the last time you reached out to a business or made a purchase without looking at reviews?
The majority of people use online reviews before making their decision. Customer reviews are one of the best forms of social proof your business can adopt. They help build your trust in your brand and can be the deciding factor when converting a customer to making a purchase. Whether you are new to business reviews or want to increase the amount of reviews you receive from customers, we can help.
I’ve received a negative review, what should I do?
In a space where anybody can share their experience and everybody can see it immediately, the impact of negative feedback can become a worry for any business. What you need to remember is nobody is perfect and the best you can do is respond swiftly and turn the negative response into a learning curve for your business.
When responding to negative feedback you should:
- Respond as quickly as possible
- Acknowledge the mistake
- Explain your point of view
- Write a meaningful apology (even if it may not have been your fault)
- Provide an immediate resolution (ideally correct the matter or offer of voucher etc.)
- If the problem can’t be resolved quickly, request to take the matter offline and settle
Want to add client reviews to your business strategy? See how we can help implement a plan that works!