Today, more than ever before, people are reading online reviews before they make a purchase. They’re also seeing the same brands and products popping up over and over again in those reviews. This can feel overwhelming, especially when you see your competitors getting praise left and right.
Luckily, there’s good news! There are so many ways to get your business out there that won’t just target the potential clients who have their eyes on you as well. For example, you can post articles on your blog about how great your services are or even post videos of how well your team works together.
You might not see immediate results from these posts, but over time they will start to pay off in new customers. The best part? It doesn’t take much to start growing your business with these strategies. Let’s explore how you can get started and why it’s worth your time.
Online Reviews
What Are Online Reviews?
Online reviews are pieces of text that consumers post about products and brands on review websites like Yelp, Amazon, and other e-commerce platforms. Customers can write an online review for any product, service, or company they’ve used.
They can also leave a review for a business’s customer service if they had a positive experience. When someone leaves an online review, they are essentially saying this: “This company (or product) is helping me achieve my goals.”
Online reviews are meant to help consumers make informed decisions when it comes to choosing products and brands, so they’re an extremely powerful marketing tool.
How do Online Reviews Work?
Whenever a consumer leaves an online review, the review website sends a notification to the business’s customer service representatives. When they read the review, the representatives are then able to leave a customer review where they also can rate their experience with the company.
If a business’s ratings on these review sites aren’t positive, consumers often don’t rate them. This creates a vicious cycle where businesses struggle to get positive reviews while also pushing those bad reviews down even further. Therefore, businesses must work hard to gain and maintain high ratings on these review sites.
Why Are Online Reviews Important?
If you’re a business owner, you’re probably wondering why you should care so much about online reviews. With so many other channels and online platforms to advertise on, why should you spend time and effort on something so seemingly insignificant as reviews?
There are a few key reasons why you should care about online reviews. They determine how much trust consumers place in your company. For example, Amazon has an algorithm that determines which products appear at the top of their search results.
If your brand has low ratings on those sites, consumers are less likely to trust those results and trust the brand less overall. They help clients solve their problems. If a customer has a problem with a product or has a question about it, he or she is more likely to trust customer service representatives to help them out.
Engaging With Online Reviews
How to Start Engaging With Online Reviews
The best way to start engaging with online reviews is to find some positive ones and build off of them. Next, spend some time engaging with your current online reviews and act like a happy customer: Use the information that consumers provided in their reviews to address any issues that they may have brought up. Then, start working on building your brand’s online reviews.
While you may start by just asking customers to leave a review for your business, this isn’t effective long-term. Instead, offer coupons, discounts, or other perks to get them to post a review. Only ask for a review after you’ve given something of value back to the customer. Otherwise, they’ll see it as another push to engage with your brand.
3 Most Important Types of Online Review
Overall Reviews
These are the reviews consumers see at the top of the page and are most likely to start with. These are also known as “meta-reviews,” since they’re meant to give a review for the entire business.
Product Reviews
These are the reviews for the product or service that the customer used. These reviews are typically placed below the business’s overall review and are meant to help people decide if they want to buy the product again.
Service Reviews
These reviews are meant to show how helpful your customer service representatives were when they were asked a question or had a problem with a product.
Responding to Positive Online Reviews
If you’re lucky enough to receive positive online reviews, you’ll want to thank the reviewer and let them know that they’re awesome. Though you might be tempted to respond directly to a negative review, it’s best to ignore it.
Instead, thank the person, let them know that you appreciate their input, and then let them know that you aren’t interested in responding. This can neutralize any negative feelings the reviewer might have about your business.
Responding to Negative Online Reviews
This is where online reputation management can help your business grow. When you respond to a negative review, you’re not just saying that you disagree with the review, you’re also addressing the claims and correcting them.
This can help you get rid of any inaccurate information that a customer may have read and help you rebuild your online reputation. You can start taking action on your online reputation management as soon as possible.
If a customer has posted a negative review, you should respond quickly to clear up any inaccurate claims. If a customer has posted a negative review on Google My Business, you should act fast.
How to Get More Reviews?
There are a few different ways you can get more online reviews. For example, you can ask your current customers to post reviews on sites like Yelp, Citysearch, and Google. You can also contact past clients who may have left you positive reviews and ask them to send you another one.
Other strategies include offering free trials or free shipping in exchange for reviews. Some businesses buy reviews, while others are just as likely to pay for them as they are to pay for a product or service.
The best way to know if your business is buying or paying for reviews is to ask your customers if they would be willing to help you build your online reviews.
Online Reputation Management
Businesses need to stay active on review sites, especially those that have a negative reputation. You need to respond to customers and address their concerns. Otherwise, you could end up damaging your reputation even further than it currently is. It’s also important for businesses to respond quickly.
If a customer leaves a negative review, you want to be able to address it before it gets buried by other positive reviews. That way, it can be easily spotted and removed. T
These are just a few ways you can use online reputation management to help you maintain a strong reputation among your customers and the public.
Reliable Reviews
Business Owners may also engage using reliable reviews. It is a Software as a Service (SaaS) based solution that constantly adds and enhances features to grow with the internet and the industry. Small businesses, multi-location, and enterprises will find the right combination of features to drive your business up.
It is a robust resolution to cultivate and manage your customer feedback and online reviews. With dozens of options, and customizations, to satisfy your customer experience goals. Some of the options are:
- Generating Review & Feedback
- Reputation & Review Monitoring
- Marketing & SEO
Conclusion
Businesses must get their products and services reviewed by customers. This helps them establish trust and legitimacy in the marketplace. It also gives them the chance to showcase their best work and customer service and get their voices heard in the process.
There are a few ways to get your business out there that won’t just target the potential clients who have their eyes on you as well. For example, you can post articles on your blog about how great your services are or even post videos of how well your team works together. You might not see immediate results from these posts, but over time they will start to pay off in new customers.
Keep in mind that online reviews are an extremely powerful marketing tool, so you must get them flowing. The best way to do this is to start engaging with your current online reviews and act like a happy customer. This can help you gain more online reviews, and help you get that much closer to a 5-star rating!
Articles You Might Want To Read:
The Truth Behind Online Reviews: Do They Matter?
Online Reviews Market Size Worldwide: How It’s Gone From Concerning to Huge!
A Guide To Online Reviews And SEO: How To Rank Higher In The Search Engines
