When looking to expand your business or attract more customers, it can be challenging to know where to start. There are so many different factors that need to come together for a successful online presence.
If you’re planning on having any sort of online presence at all, then you should consider having an online review policy in place. This will not only help you gain access to new customers but it will also help you retain existing ones. Not only will this keep your business top-of-mind with prospective customers, but it will also assure you that those reviews are genuine.
What this means is that even if your business has negative reviews, they won’t be posted by people who are trying to get away from your brand or are just looking to make cash from it. If you’re looking for ideas on how to make your business stand out online, check out these 3 ways:
What are Online Reviews?
Online reviews are customer reviews that are posted on platforms like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. These platforms are filled with reviews from people who have used your services or products.
These reviews can range from a one-word review to a 50+ word review. When people use these platforms to leave reviews for products or services, the algorithm behind these platforms allows those people to be the deciding factor for whether or not a business will be allowed to appear on these platforms.
If a business is not allowed to appear on these platforms, then the reviews will not be visible to the general public.
Online Reviews Became the New Trend
Online reviews are nothing new. They have been part of marketing and selling products and services for decades. The key difference now is that businesses can use these reviews to build brand loyalty and increase sales. With the rise of social media and marketing channels that accept these forms of social proof, reviews became even more important.
With more and more people blogging and posting content on social media platforms, it’s not unusual for people to leave positive reviews for businesses. By using these platforms to its advantage, a business can gain popular support and gain more customers.
There are many reasons why online reviews are starting to become more popular among consumers. Consumers are becoming more hesitant to write bad reviews, and the average consumer now knows how to write an unbiased review. Consumers are now becoming more aware of how reviews affect their purchases and want to support businesses that offer genuine reviews.
How Online Reviews Are Helpful?
Reach More Customers
When someone is searching for a product or service and sees that you’re one of the top choices, they are likely going to click on your ad. This is great for you, but it’s not so great for your customers since they might not be aware that you exist.
That’s where online reviews come into play. With these reviews, potential customers can see for themselves that you exist and can make an informed decision if they want to purchase from you or not.
Not only will this help build your brand reputation and customer base, but it will also give you more opportunities to score future sales.
Build Business Reputation
When a customer leaves an online review, they are saying, “I trust your business so much that I can write a review that I am happy to share with the world.” These reviews are not only useful for building customer loyalty, but they can also keep a business from getting a bad reputation.
If a customer sees a business with a good reputation and lots of positive reviews, that customer is likely going to choose to shop there too.
Caution
Customers will notice if you take shortcuts when it comes to earning a review
When you decide to rush out and hire an agency to create a review platform for your business, you’re essentially putting your reputation on the line.
You could end up with a great review platform that has many talents, but no idea how to use it. If you have a reputation for being bad with technology, your reviews will likely reflect that. Don’t do this to yourself – use the tools carefully and get it right the first time.
Increase Sales
One of the best uses for online reviews is to sell products or services. If a customer has used your services and loved them, then why not try to make their purchase from you? There are lots of sites that will give you reviews on the products and services that you offer.
You can even offer to review wedding dresses or other items that your customers might be looking to purchase. You can also look into offering to do private-label versions of products that you make.
That way, you can try to sell them under your brand. You can also look into offering discounts to any of your existing customers if they’ve used your services and recommended you to their friends.
Improve SEO
No one wants to type and keep track of which blog to link to when looking for relevant content. That’s why it’s important to have a strategy for linking to relevant content and relevant websites.
Even if someone is just looking to read your blog, having consistent and relevant content will help your website rank higher on search engine results pages. These are the pages that Google is most likely to rank your webpage for.
You can also look into implementing article republishing strategies. This will allow you to publish new content regularly and help your website rank even higher on search results pages.
Stand Out
When it comes to standing out through online reviews, there are a few things you can do. For example, if your online reviews are positive, then customers are going to click on your links.
This will take them to your site, where they can learn more about your brand. The other thing that stands out through online reviews is the number of reviews you have. With so many people already sharing their experiences through social media, it only makes sense for other people to comment as well.
Here’s a more detailed guide:
Talk to Your Customers Directly.
If you know for a fact that a customer is looking for information on your product or service, then you can send them to your site instead of writing a sales pitch. This way, you won’t waste any time trying to sell them something they don’t need. You can also get their contact info and follow up with them if they have any questions or concerns.
Use Science-Backed Reviews
Although real-world reviews are still very much appreciated, you should only ever give genuine feedback through online reviews. You can get around this by posting a link to your review section on social media pages and tagging your posts with the #realworldreviews hashtag. This way, other people can still celebrate your reviews even if they’re not from your area.
Ask Your Customers to Share Experience
After you receive those initial reviews, you should take the time to ask those who are posting about you. On social media, you can use the hashtag #shareyourexperience to let other people know where you’re posting and start a conversation. You can also DM customers who are posting about you on social media and ask them to set up a meeting. This will help you to get to know who you have genuine customer relationships with.
Make Your Site More Interactive.
If you’re making your site more interactive, then you should consider adding functionality. This will give your site a more personal touch and will help it rank higher in search results. You can add questions to the product or service pages, allow customers to give reviews, or even have live chats with customers if they need help.
Ask For Feedback From Your Employees
After you’ve received those initial reviews, you should take the time to ask your employees and customers for feedback. This will help you to tailor your business to fit the customers’ needs. If someone has any issues with your service or products, then let them know. You should also follow up with them if you haven’t heard from them within a certain timeframe.
Conclusion
Online reviews are a great way to raise awareness of your brand. They are a great way to gain more customers and help to keep them longer as they are more likely to make purchases from companies that have positive online reviews
So when you earn an online review, act on it. Not only will this help build your brand reputation and customer base, but it will also give you more opportunities to score future sales.
Don’t just take it upon yourself to ignore the feedback, especially if it’s negative. This will only leave you feeling unhappy with the product or service itself and could lead to a negative attitude towards your brand.
Articles You Might Want To Read:
Importance of Online Reviews and Getting More of It
5 Ways to Boost Online Reviews with Integrity
Why Customers Trust Online Reviews More Than a Company’s Own Sales Pitch
