Statista says 70 percent of customers out there arm themselves with reviews of products before making a purchase. Are you surprised? Well, if you are, you shouldn’t be. This is the age of information and people are thriving on it.
Think of your last holiday, for example. Did you just book your hotel or villa without checking its recent reviews? You did not, I’m sure. And you trust what other people had to say about this place because they are most unlikely to leave a good review if they were dissatisfied with their stay. You also know that when there is even one negative review among all the good ones and the management of the establishment has been quick to respond and has assured that the problem will be rectified shortly, that this is a credible establishment.
So, do not underestimate the power of a good customer review. Very few customers will purchase any product now without reading reviews first.
Reviews, testimonials and where to get them
When I order a product via Instagram messages, for instance, and I am really happy with my purchase, I send them a photograph of the product as I unbox it. When I am not prompted for a review and I send it in anyway, the tone of my review demonstrates that I am pleased with what I bought. I see other reviews online, and I can always tell if it is a genuine review or not. I quite dislike those posts of screenshots bearing reviews from the customer that seem to have been almost coerced- “Hope you liked the product” followed by the curt response, “Yes.” Nothing screams ‘unappealing’ as much as this.
On the other hand, I find the Macy’s shopper reviews extremely trustworthy. Shoppers who leave reviews are genuinely motivated by how happy they were with their product or how disappointed they were. Often a review about a bag, for example, that says something like, “the product picture and description is misleading. It says ‘medium size’ but it is quite small” tells me that this is not the purchase I was looking to make.
These examples alone tell us where the best places are to obtain feedback and reviews from customers. Your company website just after the purchase has been made or with an option to leave a review on each product on the site will be excellent options. Requesting for reviews from Instagram and Facebook sales along with pictures and videos is another popular method of collecting feedback.
However, these are platforms that are more or less moderated by you, the product or service provider. This means that you can even choose not to post the negative comments and reviews received. It is a bit trickier to keep track of reviews left on public domains and platforms such as Yelp, Wirecutter, TripAdvisor and Manta among a host of others. These reviews more or less assure credibility on the grounds that they are tried-and-tested and are therefore, accurate. I say ‘more or less’ because fake reviews are possible, but these sites use algorithms and human moderation to wean out reviews that may be biased against a competitor or seem baseless. So, as the product or service provider, it is up to you to mitigate problems that come up about your brand via customer reviews. Companies are generally sent email notifications when their products and services are reviewed by a customer via external sites, so this should be relatively easy. Further to this, think about investing in Reputation Management Software which will help you keep track of how many times your company or brand is reviewed or mentioned. Consider it a long-term investment rather than an expense because it will help you retain customers and reduce customer turnover.
Using customer feedback to push brand attractiveness
In addition to posting reviews and testimonials on your company Home Page, a popular way to showcase these are on search ads. So, by obtaining timely reviews and feedback which also increase your ratings, your brand is more likely to come up in online product searches.
Also allow for customers to engage in conversations with other customers about your brand. Adding a ‘comments’ option on your page or hashtag trends on social media platforms such as Instagram or X (formerly Twitter) can facilitate interesting discussions that can, not only up your brand visibility but also help you determine what your next step is in product and service development.
Trustpilot data says that 88% of customers find advertisements more credible if they are accompanied by online customer reviews. In fact, why not consider obtaining live video reviews by following up with customers once they have carried out their purchase and tried it out? This doesn’t have to be limited to online purchases, but allow for an option on your website where customers can upload video reviews even after having made a purchase at a physical store. This is known as user-generated-content (USG) and can be used alongside your advertisements (with customer permission) to increase brand awareness.
If you use email advertising and e-flyers too, customer reviews can be included to generate more trust towards your brand. BuzzSense says that people are 270% more likely to make a purchase on a brand that carries about 5 reviews as opposed to the one that has none at all.
Reviews to the rescue!
Testimonials and reviews are really a beautiful thing. Appreciate them for what they are because they do your advertising for you, minus the exorbitant cost. Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; human beings love the visual (it’s one of our main sensory stimulators). So, go for those video testimonials wherever you can. Many people out there love being a star- capitalise on this but giving them a chance to speak on your behalf. Trust me, you won’t want it any other way.
(Anouk De Silva)