There are several studies that indicate that online reviews may be the second most important ranking factor in Google’s search algorithm, with Google Business Profile (GBP) elements coming at the top. In fact, review content is now considered more important a local search ranking factor than your business’ physical location.
While you cannot control where your potential customers are searching, you can take steps to get more reviews. So, what can you do to get more reviews and how to use those reviews to improve your marketing strategy? The following guide can help you.
Steps for Getting More Reviews
The following steps can help you grow your reviews in different ways:
1. Set Up All Your Review Sites
If you want to benefit from what reviews can offer in the short term and long term, it is important to set up your accounts on all the platforms where you can garner them. Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is one of the first platforms to choose. Besides GBP, you should also set up your reviews on Facebook and Yelp. This must also be done on your industry-specific websites and apps.
2. Engage in Social Media Interactions
Build a positive social media presence to drive more customers to leave positive reviews. You should spend both time and effort on positive social media engagement.
According to a report, Facebook fans have a general leaning towards being more loyal, engaging more, and spending more. Some of the positive engagement steps you can take include:
- Following up instantly to comments posted on your social media pages
- Responding quickly to reviews
This sends out a message that you are eager to interact and communicate with them. This can be a sign of the high-quality customer service they can expect to receive if they become a customer.
3. Respond to Negative Reviews
There will always be some unhappy customers. This means you should be open to receiving negative reviews and handling them professionally. When you know how to handle such reviews properly, you are highly likely to turn them into positive ones. Let your customers see that you are always ready to go out of your way to handle a difficult situation.
Consider apologizing sincerely for a poor customer experience. Make sure to let them know what you do right and why you have a great reputation in your market. When you respond publicly to negative reviews, it shows everyone that you care about your customers. This can help improve your brand image and is likely to draw not only more positive reviews but also more new customers.
4. Share Your Reviews
Sharing customer reviews on social media is a great way to attract more customers and encourage existing customers to leave reviews. Promote your existing reviews on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and tag the respective customers who wrote them. This helps the customers gain recognition, feel good, and encourage other customers to do the same. When your prospects and other customers see how positively your reviewers are treated, they will be encouraged to take steps to generate more reviews.
5. Follow a Practical Approach to Generating More Reviews
The simplest way to increase the number of reviews is to ask your customers. Studies show that 76% of people when asked to leave a review are likely to oblige. It is recommended to follow these tips to drive more reviews:
- Include a Review Request in Email Signature: If you contact your customers through email, add a review request in your email signature. This can increase your review site’s visibility.
- Ask through SMS: Text messages, still, continue to have very high open rates and click-through rates. Create a mobile-friendly review process and make sure to send out review requests through SMS.
- Give Directions: Create an infographic guide on “how to leave a review” and share it on your website, in your store, on social media, or in other places, where your customers can see it. This can make it easy for your customers to leave a review even if they are not great at using the internet.
- Personalize the Request: Make sure the requests are personalized with the customer’s name. Besides using emails, use handwritten letters or phone calls to follow up and say ‘thank you’. Make sure to make a review request when communicating.
6. Host Contests
While Google discourages incentivizing review submission, you can run contests to encourage more customers to leave reviews. It is recommended to emphasize that all kinds of reviews will be accepted, both positive and negative. Encourage them to submit reviews as their entry into the contest with the rewards being gift certificates or gift cards for your products or services.
Besides following these strategies, it is important to offer great customer service. Both first and final impressions matter. While the above-mentioned tactics can work, the long-term success of your business depends on the quality of the products and services you offer.
How to Use Reviews to Improve Brand Marketing?
Reviews serve a lot of purposes. They can send out clear positive signals about your business. You can use their power to promote your brand further. Use the following strategies to integrate reviews into your marketing efforts:
Use Reviews on Key Pages
Most consumers trust reviews the way they trust personal recommendations. Studies show that people can read as many as 10 reviews before coming to a buying decision. So, make sure to show your more recent reviews on your key pages. This includes your website’s homepage, landing pages, pricing, product, and checkout pages. It is also recommended to show them on your social media pages.
Show Reviews in Search Ads
Show your reviews and ratings in your search ads. The number of reviews and the orange stars display valuable feedback information, helping your brand stand out from other listings. Such ads can help build trust even before a prospect visits your website.
Studies show that ads containing online reviews are seen to be more trustworthy. Ads containing user-generated content can generate 4 times more click-through rates. Review elements such as the review text and star ratings are considered trust signals.
Use Reviews in Emails
You can also use reviews in your emails to build credibility and improve your click-through rates and conversion rates. Keep in mind that email still has the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel. Showcasing reviews in your email messages is a great way to show what your existing customers have experienced with your brand.
So, these are some of the most effective ways to use reviews in marketing to promote your brand and business.
Conclusion
Overall, the benefits of online reviews cannot be overstated. They help build social proof of your brand, contribute to SEO, and build trust with your prospects. Reviews often create opportunities for winning back customers. Besides, the feedback received from reviews can also help improve your operations, especially if you spend the time and make an effort to integrate the feedback into your business policies. While generating organic reviews on your own can seem like a daunting task, the right professional guidance and strategies can make a big difference. If you are looking for the right digital marketing professionals, feel free to contact Clear Imaging, Inc. You can reach our team at 1(800) 380-6942 or send us a message.
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