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Imagine yourself as a consumer. Would you choose a product marketed the most interactively or recommended by your friends? Answer: It’s pretty simple.
Reviews and recommendations are important when it comes time to build the reputation of a business, including a digital marketing agency.
Today, social media is one of the most important marketing tools available to businesses. They can either dominate the market or crash and burn.
A bad review from an influencer can discourage existing clients and eliminate the chance of attracting new ones.
We will explore the metrics and the importance of reviews and show how an e-commerce site or digital agency can use some simple guidelines and tips to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong category of customer reviews.
The value of customer reviews
Invesp provides some amazing statistics to help you understand the potential of customer reviews. Below are the figures:
Nearly 90% of consumers will read product reviews before even considering purchasing a service or a product.
Customers are likely to spend 31% longer on websites with excellent reviews than websites with mediocre ones.
A survey found that 72% of respondents would add a product to the shopping cart when they read a positive review.
86% of consumers have said they will not purchase products from websites with negative reviews.
These statistics or metrics above indicate that positive reviews help retain customers and generate sales.
These reviews also help to build a relationship of trust between your company and its clients.
The survey by BrightLocal shows that this is the case.
91% of individuals in the 18-34 age group will give reviews the same priority as recommendations from friends and relatives.
Positive reviews will instantly boost the trust between businesses and their clients, as 73% find these platforms more reliable.
You can also use the reviews to understand what your customers are experiencing. You will gain much insight into improving your product and which aspects drive customers away.
Negative reviews can be a way to improve your business, provided you consider them.
The response and behavior of your customers can be measured more accurately and precisely.
Customer reviews are also important for SEO rankings. Search engines reward customer-centric sites, so having good reviews can help you achieve rankings.
Your website will also be more visible in search results for certain keywords if you have articles on your platform.
Incorporating reviews, particularly ‘good ones,’ into an online store is important. We’ll discuss some guidelines and practices you can use to effectively respond to negative reviews.
Customer Reviews Examples
Maintaining reputation via reviews
First, to maintain your reputation through reviews, you must be honest and not hide from negative reviews. The majority of websites delete any negative reviews and only display positive ones.
However, this will not fool Google’s complex algorithms and negatively affect your SEO strategy. These algorithms are designed to identify websites that only display positive reviews and rank them accordingly.
Customers will also be skeptical about a site if it has near-perfect ratings. There must be a balance to make the brand look credible and understandable.
Customers are more likely to trust reviews with a mix of good and bad reviews.
Remaining honest
Most e-commerce sites often create fake reviews of their products.
These reviews are written by the company’s team and strategically displayed on its website. Users are aware of this practice and can easily identify a fabricated review.
Even if just one user raises concerns about the validity of a review, this can bring down the entire site. The company will lose the trust of all users, and they won’t invest money in its products or services.
Posting fake reviews is akin to contradicting your goal of helping your consumers understand your brand.
BrightLocal reported that more than one-third (or surveyed respondents) of those surveyed had spotted fake reviews in the past year.
Handling complaints
If your website is flawless, it will attract positive reviews. However, bad reviews are likely to follow, as we all make mistakes.
It is important to respond in such a case.
Understanding the user’s complaint is important. Address it quickly and, if you can, make it up somehow. A simple apology, and the promise that extra care will be given, can sometimes be enough.
BrightLocal has revealed that 30% of consumers are interested in the response to their complaints. However, most (89%) users look for any business responses and evaluate them.
Moreover, businesses should take great care when responding to negative reviews.
If it’s not written well, the result can be disastrous. When dealing with negative feedback, ensure your content team is at the top of its game.
Google will act if it detects profanity or the review isn’t constructive.
Utilizing different spaces
Reviewing your business on your website will only target those who have visited your site. To reach potential customers, your company will need to utilize various channels.
You will need to use more channels than just your website.
BrightLocal’s take on this is interesting. They say that half of consumers will only visit an ecommerce website if they read positive reviews elsewhere. Registering your brand in different places such as Google Maps and Yelp is important.
This is only a small sample of the many different marketing channels that your business can utilize to effectively market your reviews.
Placement and Timing
Knowing when you should collect customer feedback to build a strong review profile is important. Digital agencies can make the most of positive reviews, even though it’s easy for e-commerce websites to integrate them on their pages.
This company’s homepage features client testimonials, reviews, and ratings to create a lasting first impression.
In the case of e-commerce websites, Sophie&Trey has taken a different approach by including customer comments on their blogs in addition to the usual reviews.
Timing is everything when it comes to collecting customer reviews. Reserve reviews only after the product is delivered and the customer has had time to test the service. You can usually email them one month after the delivery.
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