According to statistics the majority of us, 85% of us in fact, trust online reviews just as much as we do a personal recommendation when searching for products and services. With over a quarter more being spent on brands with online reviews, it’s clear that they matter to consumers and hugely influence their buying habits.
So with it being unmistakably obvious that online reviews mean more sales, how do you go about encouraging customers to leave them? In this post we’ll let you into a few secrets of gently pushing your customers into leaving you some pretty useful reviews online.
Get yourself out there on review sites other than your own website/social media platforms.
Different sites often show different stories. If you can display positive reviews on a multitude of sites, you’re on to a winner. Look for sites that are both general and relevant to your business. For example, if you’re a restaurant, allow reviews to be given on OpenTable so that people looking for somewhere to eat will discover you with good reviews.
Being present on different review sites also means that customers are able to leave you reviews somewhere that they feel comfortable and where they have chosen to publicise their thoughts. This will always result in them giving a truthful review, which if you’re doing things right will always work in your favour.
Allow for freedom and offer help
We’ve covered where, now lets cover how. Some of your customers and clients will have both the time and desire to leave a lengthy review that shows exactly why they loved you. Others however, will want to share their experience but not have the time for detail.
If there’s a specific product or service that you are asking for reviews on, creating a template or form can prove useful to both customers and yourself. You’re gaining the information you require and they feel that the review process will be quicker and easier.
Build client relationships and as a result build trust
Fake reviews are a huge implication in creating trust in reviews, even resulting in Amazon putting a stop to their reviews scheme!
To tackle troublesome fake reviews, you can now label users as verified to show that they’ve made genuine purchases from you. Now, bare with us on this one, allowing negative reviews can actually create more sales and interest. The thought behind this is that constructive, polite criticism allows you to appear more human and your results appear more authentic and trustworthy.
Interact with reviews
Interacting with both positive and negative reviews gives the opportunity to respond and further instil levels of trust from existing and potential customers. It also gives you the chance to appear human and less like a machine to your customers, both existing and potential. Another benefit of interacting with reviews is that you are able to resolve any issues that may be raised in a public space to show your customer service skills and professionalism.
If you’re thinking of building or optimising an ecommerce store, get in touch today!
Call us on 01427 808870 or email us at [email protected]
