We live in a world of Yelp and Google. If your business isn’t actively engaged in garnering positive customer reviews, you’re likely sinking in your SEO potential.
Even addressing negative reviews about your company can take a bad situation and spin it for your good.
Here are five benefits a customer review offers your company and why you need them today.
Improve Your Search Engine Optimization
If you haven’t heard of search engine optimization (SEO) by now, it’s time to get on board! Search engine optimization is how you get your business ranked higher in results when people Google related terms.
One of the most effective ways to organically boost your business’s SEO is through customer reviews.
The more happy customers you have commenting online or leaving reviews of your product/services, the higher your business will be in a Google search.
Increase Awareness
Did you just open? Are you trying to promote a new product or service? The answer is customer reviews.
Word of mouth is very real online, and it comes in the form of written reviews. You can get more positive reviews by doing some things like offering incentives to customers who post positive reviews online.
Build Trust
When potential customers see that you’re willing to allow reviews of your business online, they’re more inclined to trust you.
Customer reviews are especially effective at building trust if you address negative reviews with professionalism and kindness. Prove that you’ve got excellent customer service.
Connect With Customers
Sometimes the candid customer feedback offered in online reviews is helpful. Learn ways your business or products can improve.
Reviews help you hear what people want or ways your product could better meet their needs. Turn criticisms into ways to improve, and you’re sure to see growth in sales and happy customers who feel like their voices are being heard.
Customer reviews are also a great place to answer questions for customers directly.
Instead of angering customers by placing them on hold with a customer service phone line, customer reviews let them immediately seek help. As long as you have a robust method for quickly responding to reviews, they are an excellent way to answer customer questions promptly.
Boost Sales
Do you remember the old marketing funnel from college? Well, customer reviews often act as the mouth of that funnel–they draw in potential customers.
As potential customers read what positive things others have to say about your product or service, they will be more likely to purchase it themselves.
Ways to Get Positive Reviews
Encouraging or incentivizing customers to leave positive reviews doesn’t have to be tricky. Things like coupons, discounts, or other rewards can motivate customers to take a few minutes to leave you a good review.
Just be sure not to annoy customers with your promptings.
For more helpful business-related articles, browse the Business portion of our blog.
