Marketing customer reviews? It might be surprising, but your customer reviews are one of the most effective marketing tools your business has. Customer reviews are native content, and represent individual pieces of the content marketing puzzle, provided to you for free by your customers. When you get a good review for your business, the worst thing you can do is pat yourself on the back and let it disappear into the void. Instead, your business should market its customer reviews to drive new business.
According to a leading review survey conducted in 2014, “88% have read reviews to determine the quality of a local business”, “85% of consumers said they read up to 10 reviews”, “72% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more”, and “88% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.”
Of course, the first step in marketing customer reviews is to actually find an effective way to collect them. Sure, customers who’ve had a negative experience have no problem making their way to online review sites to write scathing reviews, but encouraging positive reviews can be a bit more difficult. Sometimes, companies will try and offer incentives in exchange for clients to leave reviews, but all you really need to do is ask and your satisfied customers are more than happy to help. Platforms like eEndorsements help streamline this process for any businesses, regardless of industry.
In order to best market your reviews, you need to first stay informed about who is leaving them, and where. Not only that, but you’ve got to be engaged with the discussion surrounding the reviews of your products or services: Reply to both negative and positive reviews in a measured, helpful, and informative way. If someone asks a specific question about your business, answer it, and link to a pertinent article to back up your info when necessary.
In addition to staying abreast of the conversations sparked by your feedback, marketing customer reviews by displaying them on your website and social media platforms will showcase your client experience. This effectively turns your customers into product ambassadors, and helps build trust with your potential customers. Read More about Leveraging Customer Reviews