Before customers purchase from your store, they need assurance that the goods and services you provide are legitimate. They ascertain this by reading previous customers’ reviews of the goods you sell.
Reviews can be in the form of ratings, images, videos, blogs, or user-generated content.
Including reviews on your website enables you to develop trust with your customers, increase your rankings, and show the trustworthiness of your store.
But good reviews won’t always come automatically. You need to ask for them proactively and find ways to improve them.
Nine Customer Reviews Strategies
In this business blog, we have nine strategies for getting good customer reviews, including the following:
- Appreciating the reviews you get
- How to get customer reviews
- Post-review process
1. Appreciate The Reviews You Get
As a business owner, you’d like to get excellent reviews from all the shoppers who buy your product. Most often, this is different because customers’ shopping experiences vary because of the customer service or any other issue they experience that makes them give you a three-star rating instead of five. Whichever the case, appreciate the reviews you get.
The site Reviews Sorted explains having three stars is better because it indicates customers’ honesty in their shopping experience. You can know where shortcomings are and ways to rectify them from the ratings. Most customers are also more hesitant to work with a 5-star rating because they think it’s fake.
2. Encourage Customers To Leave Reviews
Shoppers may not leave a review if you don’t tell them why you want them to leave feedback in the first place. So, use excellent ways to ask your customers to leave reviews on your website after their purchase. Doing so enables you to allow them to tell the truth about the products you’re selling.
Sometimes, you may be afraid to allow your customers to leave reviews because you think they can talk negatively about your products. This shouldn’t be the case because reviews are a critical influencer of purchase decisions. So, overcome your fears and motivate them to give an honest review on your website.
Always keep in mind that reviews can help you grow your enterprise immensely.
3. Make The Procedure Simple
Customers want to purchase a product and move to the next item on their agenda. If leaving a review is tedious for them, they’ll be less inclined to leave it on your website. So, you have to make the process as simple as possible. You can give customers alternative platforms on your websites they often use, such as emails or social media sites, so that they can leave their comments.
Alternatively, you can provide customers with a direct link to the page where they can leave their feedback. Or you can have automated messages so the customer won’t have to write their comment. You can say, “Did the product meet your expectations?” Then they can leave their feedback. You can also inform your customers how much time they’ll have to spend on the reviews.
For example, you can say, “It’ll only take you a minute to leave your review on the product you’ve bought.” This way, they’ll know it won’t take much of their time.
4. Engage With Customers
Customers appreciate having someone respond to their questions when they visit your website. Thus, being proactive with your customers can significantly increase the good reviews you’re hoping to get. You can know their specific pain points and how you plan to address them through your product and always respond to their questions promptly. If there are delays, they may leave negative reviews.
So, have a customer service person with a cheerful personality who can address your customers’ concerns. If customers see how much help you’re providing, they won’t hesitate to leave a positive review on your website.
5. Reply To All Reviews
Customers can leave positive or negative reviews on your website, which is crucial for business. So, take your time to respond to each positively. For instance, if they leave a two-star review, respond to what the customer says about that particular product or service by informing them how you’ll do better on their next purchase. If it’s a five-star rating, thank the customer for leaving such glowing reviews.
Responding to negative and positive reviews is excellent because it helps elevate customers’ experience and makes them feel you appreciate their feedback. It goes a long way to show your prospects how caring you are.
6. Share Good Reviews On Social Media
If you get good reviews on your website, you can share them across various social media platforms so potential customers can see how well your products sell. Proving social presence is strategic because most social media subscribers love impulse purchases based on what they see. The more they see a positive review shared on different platforms, the more encouraged they are to try them out.
7. Provide Incentives To Customers
Incentives are the soft spots for every customer. They won’t hesitate to leave a review when they know they can get something. You can encourage your customers to provide good reviews by giving them price discounts on their subsequent purchases or gift cards.
8. Ensure Consistency With Reviews
Customers are likelier to buy a product with numerous reviews. Your product may have good reviews, but the number of people who have purchased the product is less. Shoppers may not buy from you. But, if you have numerous reviews, even if there are a few negative ones, customers can be inclined to buy from you based on what they’ve seen. So, your focus should be on getting as many reviews as possible.
9. Host Events To Meet Customers
One of the ways to get positive reviews is by hosting a company event to get an opportunity of meeting your customers in person. Customers can appreciate the opportunity you’re giving them to meet the faces behind their favorite brands. Once they return to your page, they won’t hesitate to leave a positive review on your website because of how openly you communicate with them.
Conclusion
Good customer reviews can significantly enhance your sales, broaden your customer base and enable you to build trust with your clients. So, looking into more effective strategies to get more of them is commendable. Remember, it’s not only the five stars that count; even with three- or four-star ratings, your business can always attract new customers.