Why are reviews important? Why do companies around the world
chase positive online reviews as if their business depends on them? In fact, it
does! You too, as a business owner, should learn how to collect customer
feedback and benefit from it.
What are the benefits of customer
reviews?
Of course, getting positive feedback feels good and proves
that what you’re doing actually helps someone. But why are reviews important
and how can your business benefit from them?
Reviews affect purchasing decisions
When shopping online, people can’t touch products or even
see them. Yes, good product pages contain detailed descriptions and
high-quality photos. But we all know that a product picture and its real-life appearance
are two totally different things.
Moreover, first-time customers have to deal with online
stores they’ve never heard of. What if it’s a scam website? What if an order
will never get delivered?
That’s why you need to prove somehow that you can be trusted.
And there’s nothing better than a positive consumer review!
Showing what other people think of your product or service,
shipping time and other aspects can stimulate new customers to make their first
purchase. It’s especially important to post at least a few real product photos
from previous customers as soon as you get them so that other visitors could
see what the item really looks like.
Reviews generate even more reviews
Having two or three positive reviews on your product page is
a good start. But if just one person liked a product, it doesn’t mean it’s
worth buying. For an unbiased decision, one needs more opinions. However, few
people want to be the first ones.
Seeing that somebody actually left a review makes visitors
more confident, so it works like a chain reaction. Post a few, and people will
start writing more and more. As a result, new visitors will be able to read
dozens of opinions.
Reviews help you build customer
loyalty
This benefit has nothing to do with new visitors and
potential customers. Instead, it focuses on those who have already bought from
your store – the ones who left those reviews.
Some entrepreneurs may think that after you get someone to
buy and even write a review, you don’t need that person anymore. That’s a huge
mistake. In any circumstances, one should aim at turning buyers into regular
clients. There are many ways to increase customer loyalty, and allowing them to
speak up is one of them.
Today businesses want to be more than just a faceless
corporation. They want to show their human sides, want to build communities
around their products and services. And customers respond to this pursuit by
gladly sharing their opinions and experience.
Let such people speak up, and they’ll become your loyal
customers.
How to ask for customer reviews
Now that you know why reviews are important, it’s time to
think about how to collect feedback and how to stimulate clients to write it.
After all, few people would want to spend time and effort to do it.
There are several ways to convince them.
1. Simply collect
what you already have
There’s always someone willing to express an opinion. All
you have to do is to find such reviews and provide customers with a place where
they can share their experience. There are lots of review sites out there and,
of course, your own website, but your best option are social networks.
People tend to express their views more willingly on
Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. So, with a strong social media presence, you
don’t even have to ask for customer reviews. Just keep your eyes open and
you’ll find both feedback and real customer-made photos.
2. Ask for feedback
on social media
Ok, some reviews you can find on social media aren’t exactly
what you want. Short, vague phrases like “Cool product” or “Fast delivery”
don’t really say anything useful about your product. Moreover, they look like
fake reviews, which will hardly improve your business’ reputation.
Still, the one who left this review did buy something from
you and seems to be satisfied. In this case, you can and should ask this person
to write a more detailed feedback. Just a few sentences will do great.
3. Send follow-up
letters
You can also ask for customer reviews by sending emails to
clients who have recently bought from you. There are many ways to use
follow-ups and this is just one of them, but it can generate dozens of reviews
for you.
In these letters, you should thank customers for making the
purchase and politely ask them to write a few lines about their experience.
4. Make it easy to
leave a review
Imagine a situation like this. You made a purchase and are
happy with it, and the online store asks you to write a review. You do
understand why reviews are important for the company and don’t really mind. But
the letter says nothing about how you can do it or where the company wants your
review.
When you ask for feedback, make sure people can post one in
just a few clicks. Provide links to your social media pages or to the comments
section of a given product page. And allow people to leave reviews on your store
without having to register.
5. Offer a reward
Why are reviews important for businesses? I guess we got it.
But what’s so important about them for customers? I mean, why would they even
bother?
That’s right! You need to stimulate them by offering a
reward. A coupon that gives a discount on the next purchase will make a good
one. Not only does it stimulate people to write something about your products,
but it also gives them a reason to return to the store and make another
purchase.
Some people may like the idea but still postpone the
feedback for later. That’s why you probably want to offer time-limited coupons
available only for 2 or 3 days. In this case, customers will have plenty of time
to write a review at a convenient time but are unlikely to forget about it.