60%
of consumers mention online reviews are an important consideration when determining whether to shop at small businesses.1
1 Visa Digital Transformation Whitepaper, 2019, Maru/Matchbox survey.
The importance of reviews
Consumers trust online reviews. It’s often the first thing they look into when considering trying a business, whether it’s a service or a restaurant or even a new gym. They want to know how other customers feel about your service, hours, location, and other features you offer.
Getting the best out of customer reviews
We’ve covered how important it is to create an online presence and having excellent review is part of that. No matter how polished your site and social feed are, feedback from your existing customers is going to play an important role in helping you attract new customers.
Six tips for tackling customer reviews
Ask your customers to leave reviews in the right place
They are more likely to leave a review if they’re asked. If you have a bricks-and-mortar store, merge offline with online marketing and ask your customers to leave online reviews for your business. Also, clearly communicate which of the review sites are best for your business.
Stay prepared for new reviews
Most review sites can send a notification when your business receives a new review. This is handy because you can quickly respond – especially if there’s a negative review.
Remain calm
You may get some negative reviews. The best way to handle them is with a well-written and balanced response. This allows other potential customers to understand more about your business.
Take it private
Many review sites allow you to contact the reviewer directly. This can be a smart way to handle a customer concern – nothing is worse than an extended public dispute. So if you can, handle it privately and then follow up on the site and explain how you’ve resolved it.
Use reviews as a benchmark
Your competitor’s reviews are an excellent place to help improve your own business. What do reviewers rave about? And what do they complain about? A review can be an unfiltered look into the mind of your potential customer. There may be an opportunity to fine tune your own business and win an even broader share of the audience.
Prioritize responding
One way you can build some positive word of mouth is to make responding to customers’ reviews part of your routine. Set aside a little time each day to say thanks to any customer that leaves a review.
How do you best ask for reviews?
Final invoice: You could include a request for a review in your final invoice.
Website or email: Make it easy for a customer to leave a review on your site, or include a link in one of your emails directing customers to leave a review.
Physical location: If you have a physical location, you can always create posters or window stickers asking customers to leave reviews on your preferred sites.