Learn how to leverage customer reviews to get more customers and increase sales. This article explains how customer reviews allow potential customers to imagine themselves as users or owners of your products/services and provides tips on how to get more customer reviews and utilize them effectively.
The power of customer testimonials isn’t a new concept. If you think back to the Home Shopping Network and infomercials, you’ll realize that word of mouth and social proof has been around since “the first sale”. The methods and platforms may look a bit different today, but there is no denying that potential customers still like to hear from other customers. As long as folks have something positive to say about your business, you will likely experience an increase in sales when customers are seen or heard testifying to the benefits of your products or services.
Customer reviews help potential customers imagine themselves as owners or users of your products/services. Better yet, if they’ve heard good things about your business from someone they know or trust, you’re golden! So, how can you get more customer reviews and leverage that feedback into getting more customers and increasing sales? To be plain and simple, you should ask.
You could take a hands off approach and send your prior customers a link to review your business online. Although you may not get 100% of your customers to review your business this way, there might be a few who are willing to support your business by sharing their thoughts online. You can also offer an incentive for submitting a review. Consider providing a coupon code or a giveaway entry in exchange for sharing a review online. Just make sure that the review site doesn’t have any rules against such practices.
Another option is to request a direct quote from your customer that you could use for promotional purposes. This quote could come from a recorded video, audio message or text/email correspondence. You’ll then use that quote and share it on social media or other marketing materials. Although this option takes a bit more work, I am a fan of this method because it gives a more personal touch. As a customer, if I receive a request for a quote to be used on a business' website, I’m more likely to respond than if I receive a seemingly canned request to fill out a survey.
Regardless of your method for collecting the customer review, make sure to actually take heed to the feedback. Of course, some customers will only leave superficial comments and that’s ok. We love positive reviews! However, there’s likely to be the occasional customer who has some critical feedback that could help you with future orders. Also, make sure to respond to any public posts shared on review sites. Your response is just as much about responding to the customer as it is about showing other readers (i.e. potential customers) how you manage customer service.
As you work to boost the amount of customer reviews online, consider asking your best/favorite customers to talk about the benefits they received from doing business with you. If you already have testimonials on review sites or via text/email communications, share those on your social media or in your email marketing campaigns. Copy the customer’s feedback and use it to create a quote graphic using a program such as Canva. Customer pictures and videos provide a great visual as well. As the saying goes, “a picture (of a happy, satisfied customer) is worth a thousand words”.
Conclusion
In conclusion, customer reviews can be a great tool when it comes to convincing potential customers how great your products/services are. Reach out to your most satisfied customers and see if they’d be willing to help promote your business by providing an online review or a quote that you can share publicly. Social proof may be a new name, but the concept is still the same. Potential customers like to hear from other customers when making the decision to purchase. Look to your network of happy customers to help you buildup a collection of reviews that you can then leverage into increased sales.
Cyd N. Mitchell
Business Blogger, Retail Bakers of America
Cydni N. Mitchell (aka Cyd) is a Bakery Consultant and the Sweet Business Coach behind Sweet Fest®. Based in Atlanta, GA, Sweet Fest® is an online company that supports the business needs of the Sweet Community in the areas of professional development, marketing, branding and web design.
By trade, Cyd is an accountant & financial analyst with a Masters from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the Founder of the Sugar Coin Academy, an online business academy for business owners in the baking and sweets industry, and she is also the organizer of The Ultimate Sugar Show, Georgia’s Largest Annual Baking and Sweets Expo in Atlanta. She is also the Business Blogger for the Retail Bakers of America.
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