Modern consumers are spoiled for choice. When we need to buy goods or services, it is easy to quickly search online and bring up hundreds of options in seconds.
But deciding which of these options is best can be a challenge as you often fall victim to the “paradox of choice”.
This phenomenon describes how, even though we assume that having more options will make it easier to make satisfying choices, the opposite is true. It becomes more difficult to weigh the pros and cons of multiple options, and this limits our decision-making abilities.
As a result, online reviews may be more important than ever, because they give us more direction when making a choice. We can quickly discount companies with lots of negative reviews, and gain more insight into ones with positive reviews.
That is why online reviews are often the main way that consumers decide who to give their business to.
Read on to find out why reviews are so important to your business, and how you may be able to encourage your customers to leave positive ones for you.
46% of people check online reviews before buying from a business
Many consumers rely heavily on reviews when deciding whether to deal with a business or not. In fact, the Independent reports that 46% of people regularly check star ratings before buying from an online retailer.
Additionally, 2 in 5 people admitted that they have been put off a brand by a single negative review. Conversely, 55% of people said they would be likely to spend more money with a business that had excellent ratings.
As such, reviews can have a significant impact on the success of your business, and a lack of positive reviews could make it more difficult to grow.
Fortunately, you can follow these five steps to potentially get more reviews for your business.
5 ways to get more online reviews for your business
1. Go the extra mile in your service
People may be more likely to leave a review when they have an exceptional experience with your company.
Offering a high-quality product at a competitive price is part of this. Crucially, you also need to find ways to go above and beyond at every stage of your interaction with the customer. This includes:
- Creating a streamlined sales process
- Following up with customers afterwards
- Offering good aftercare.
Anything you can do to make the customer experience memorable may improve your chances of getting a positive review.
2. Deal with complaints effectively
Negative reviews can easily deter potential customers and tarnish the reputation of your company. Unfortunately, people are often very quick to share negative opinions.
According to the Independent, a survey of 2,000 adults found that one-third of them had left a negative review online. In many cases, people leave bad feedback because businesses have not dealt with their complaints in a satisfactory way.
That is why you may want to revisit your complaints process to ensure that you deal with problems quickly.
Whenever you receive a customer complaint, it is important to:
- Acknowledge and apologise for the issue
- Thoroughly investigate the complaint and the reason for the problem
- Provide adequate compensation where applicable
- Communicate with the customer throughout this process.
If you deal with complaints more effectively, you may find that it is not the issue itself that the customer becomes upset about, it is the way that you respond to it. As such, you may see a reduction in negative reviews.
Furthermore, customers may update their previously negative review with a positive one, thanks to the time you took in rectifying the issue.
3. Ask for reviews
Leaving a review for your business may not be a priority for your customers. So, you might need to encourage them by simply asking them to take the time to give their thoughts on your business.
Following up with an email to customers to ask for feedback can be an effective way to get more reviews. By giving clear instructions on how and where to leave a review, you make the process easier for your customers, too.
You could also consider offering a “thank you” to those that do leave reviews, such as in the form of a small discount on a future purchase.
4. Respond to reviews
Interacting with customers when they leave feedback may help you build better relationships with them.
Indeed, according to Trustpulse, businesses that respond to reviews are 1.7 times more trustworthy than those that do not.
Additionally, when customers see that you are interacting with and responding to people, it demonstrates that the business reads all the reviews and considers the feedback that their customers leave.
As a result, it may make others more inclined to leave a review themselves in the future.
5. Use the right platforms
Displaying your reviews on the right platforms can help you ensure that more potential customers see them. Popular review platforms draw in more users who may read reviews and leave one of their own.
However, if you use lesser-known platforms, you may not reach as many people. Consumers may not trust your reviews as much either, because they are not hosted on a trusted platform.
Some of the most popular review platforms include:
- Trustpilot
- TripAdvisor
- Which?
Additionally, you may benefit from finding industry-specific platforms to display your reviews, or even adding reviews to your website.
Get in touch
If you need help managing your money as a business owner, we are here to help.
Email enquiries@dbl-am.com or call 01625 529 499 to speak to us today.
Please note
This blog is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
