Using Reviews to Drive Growth

Positive reviews can be a potent tool for any website or business looking to increase its online presence and attract new customers. Negative reviews, on the other hand, can place the entire existence of a (small) business in jeopardy and create a PR nightmare for mid to large-sized companies.

Regardless, the benefits of getting positive reviews for your website or business are self-evident.

Estimates show that anywhere from 60% to 90% + of your visitors will check out online reviews before they ever engage with your brand and by the time they connect through that first touchpoint, about 70% of the buyer journey has already taken place; and much of that journey involves the analysis of reviews – both yours and those of your competitors.

The Benefits of Positive Reviews

Positive reviews help to build trust and credibility with potential customers and enforce brand confidence with existing customers. This can be especially valuable for smaller businesses or startups that are trying to establish themselves in a competitive market.

Positive reviews not only enhance the value of your brand but also help boost your search engine rankings. Naturally, positive reviews make it more likely that people will click through to your website

Finally, positive reviews can also improve the perception of your products and services thereby leading to an increase in your prices – customers are often willing to pay more for your products or services for the confidence of knowing they are dealing with a reputable organization that stands behind their products.

The Opportunities Presented by Negative Reviews

Although negative reviews can present a challenge for your brand, they also present an opportunity to showcase to customers how you deal with challenges and resolve customer issues.

Customers whose issues are resolved to their satisfaction can become some of your most loyal advocates. After all, there are few things more satisfying to a consumer than a hassle-free resolution of a perceived issue. And by doing so, you are likely to see these same customers posting positive reviews about their experience as opposed to negative ones.

How To Manage Reviews

Review management requires a commitment of time and resources. Daily monitoring of posts and comments accompanied by appropriate responses is part of a successful review management strategy. Here are a few helpful tips on how best to manage your reviews:

Show your customers that their feedback matters by actively responding to all reviews in a timely manner regardless of whether they are positive or negative
Don’t automate the process by simply saying ‘Thanks’ to positive reviews or ‘Sorry you weren’t happy’ to negative reviews. Take the time to post an actual reply. Show customers that you are actually engaged in the conversation.
Find a review management platform that addresses your needs. Some platforms are best suited for businesses with a small number of reviews and others are more robust for larger volume demands.
Prompt customers to leave reviews and make it easy for them to do so. Most review management platforms offer the tools to do this and allow you to link or form on your website, social channels, or via email communications.
Filter out fake, inappropriate, and illegitimate reviews in order to streamline the time you spend on management.
Take your customer feedback seriously and use it to help grow the image of your brand.