What is a review?

A review is a feedback that customer give you about your services or products. They are placed on the Internet for everyone to see, including your future customers. You can find reviews about your business on Facebook, Google, Trustpilot, Yelp, Tripadvisor... In short, there are many websites where you can receive reviews.

Why do I need reviews?

You may not realize yet the power of reviews on your business, but it is of great importance. First, it's the best way for you as a business to get feedback on your products. Also, you don't even need to spend a dime, some of your customers are happy to give you their feedback, good or bad. If you have good reviews, it's great for your brand image and reputation because everyone else has access to these reviews and looks at them. However, if you also have bad reviews, this is an opportunity for you to improve your products and services to get more out of them. You will be able to understand the problems that your products or services have.

The numbers on reviews:

•  89% of consumers worldwide make the effort to read reviews before buying products. Reviews are the detail that will help you close a sale!
•  76% of consumers say they trust the reviews they read online as much as personal recommendations. That's basically modern word-of-mouth.
•  56% of shoppers read at least four reviews on a product before buying it. That's why you need multiple reviews on your different products or services!
•  53.3% of customers expect companies to respond to their negative reviews within a week. So set a reminder every week to take the time to respond to customers who give reviews.
•  The conversion rate of product pages with reviews is up to 3.5 times higher than those without. Therefore, you should seize the opportunity; it will directly impact your sales.
•  97% of shoppers who read online reviews also read the responses of companies. So, make sure you are diligent in your responses because your future customers will read them.

If you weren't convinced of the magical power of reviews, you should be now. It's time for your business to focus on getting reviews and giving responses to enhance your brand image and reputation in your market.

How do I request reviews?

There are several ways to ask your customers to leave reviews. First, if you have a physical business, put a small sign near the cash register or on the receipts to encourage your customers to leave a review on a platform (Google, Facebook, Yelp...).

Don't hesitate to ask for reviews by several means.

Then you can ask by email, by creating an automatic email specifically to ask them to publish a review on your business or at the end of each of your marketing emails.

You can also talk about it on social networks and ask for their opinions on your services.

If you have a customer service department, set up a system that will ask all the people who have visited it to give their opinion.

Also, if you have a blog consider putting a comment section where readers can interact with the content you have published.

To encourage customers to give you feedback you may need to give them something in return. It is popular to organize contests where a review will win a random prize or to offer a small promo code to everyone who leaves a review.

Why respond to reviews?

It is very important for businesses to respond to reviews. First, your competitors may not be doing it, and this is your chance to beat them to the punch. In addition, whether the reviews are good or bad, by responding to them you show your audience that you read the comments they make and that their opinion matters to you. It's a way to improve your brand image by showing that you are trying to improve or that you are happy with the success of your business. By responding you are thanking the person for taking the time to help you and showing the quality of your customer service. Since so many people read your reviews, be sure that your behavior gives the right first impression about your business. By responding to reviews, you increase your chances of retaining customers and turning an unhappy customer into a happy one by finding a solution that fits their problem. On the other hand, responding to reviews boosts your SEO, as Google sees and appreciates your commitment.

How do I respond to reviews?

Responding to the reviews you receive won't take much time, most of the time a simple sentence is enough. It's short and effective. For positive reviews, remember to thank the person for taking the time to leave their review and tell them you hope they will come back to your business. The best way to do this is to personalize your response, if you can, include the customer's first name or refer to something they mentioned in their review.

As for negative reviews, thank the person for letting you know about the problem, find a solution to their problem, and try to handle the situation privately afterwards.

You may also receive feedback in the form of a rating (e.g. 4/5 stars). If there is no text, you can always thank and encourage the customer to come back or to contact you to solve their problem.

There are not only white or black reviews, you may also have neutral reviews. To respond, include elements of a response to a good review and elements of a response to a bad review. You should thank the customer and ask how you could have improved their experience. Suggest that they contact you to resolve their issue.

For more information, you can contact Oshara Inc, the Montreal web agency specialized in SEO, advertising campaigns and website creation.