Customer reviews can be intimidating if you’ve never handled them before or are starting your business journey, but they are vital to reaching success. Having plenty of reviews for new and returning customers to look at will give them a greater sense of who you are and how you do business. In fact, people are likely to trust a company with positive reviews just as much as a recommendation from a friend. Whether you haven’t received any or you have endless reviews, there are plenty of ways to gain more and use them to your advantage. Thanks to social media marketing and various new technologies introduced every year, reviews are much more accessible and easy to display. Read on to learn about why these customer reviews are important and what you can do to get more.
Understanding Your Customers
One of the most important aspects of running a business is being able to understand your audience and clients. This general understanding will make it easier for you to improve in areas you may not have noticed beforehand. Many reviews mention something good or bad that the customer experienced, and you’ll discover how to maintain that positive relationship. Some day you may see a suggestion from a review that you’d like to act on, which will improve your business and increase trust with your customers. Take suggestions from others, but make sure you discuss them with your team or even a trusted advertising agency, like Inner Spark Creative. You might run into a negative review here and there, but don’t take them too harshly and use them as an opportunity to improve.
Gaining Exposure
Having customer reviews for others to see means more exposure for your website or social media accounts. Many consumers rely on reviews to find new companies and ensure they’re finding the highest quality products or services, so yours will surely be seen. Google can tell which websites use customer reviews and tends to place them higher up on people’s results page. Also, this search engine combines reviews from multiple platforms into consideration when determining how high up your page should appear. These additions to your platform can also increase your company's SEO and make it much more likely people will find you. On average, businesses that display their numerous reviews from customers have received a higher overall rating and get more engagement.
More Business
Obviously, the goal of your company should be to increase business and bring in consumers using the best marketing strategies for your brand. Having customer reviews is more likely to drive purchases because those who see them will gain a sense of comfort knowing that there are people who think it’s a good decision. Furthermore, simply getting these reviews shouldn’t be where you stop. By replying to some and addressing any concerns they may have, you will increase the chances that those customers will come back for more business. Though it could be tempting at times, remember that silence is just as big of an answer as one that’s been typed out and sent. According to a study by Moz, almost 70% of consumers are influenced by the reviews they read online, which can surely make an impact on your business.
Prove You Care
Everyone wants to do business with a company that has shown they are genuine and care about what their customers have to say. If you have lots of reviews available, responding to these openly gives you the chance to show how much you value them. Handling negative reviews can be scary and intimidating, but it’s important you know how to reply. When new customers are searching your site, seeing that you respond to people’s thoughts and concerns lets them know that you care and pay attention. As mentioned earlier, these reviews give you the opportunity to improve or fix any areas that may be problematic for some consumers. Taking these chances would highly benefit your path to success as time goes on.
How We Can Help!
Inner Spark Creative is Auburn, Alabama’s most reliable marketing agency with a team of passionate and hard-working individuals. We understand how hard it can be to figure out what works and what doesn’t when finding ways to bring success to your company or small business and are always eager to help. We provide marketing strategies and advice that will benefit you and leave you feeling more than prepared for the next step. At Inner Spark, we emphasize the importance of being your partner, not just a vendor. Contact us today if you’re looking for ways to get your brand exposed to people who care just as much as you.