We live in a digital world where even bricks-and-mortar businesses have an online presence. Now, like everything online, people also talk about businesses. You’d see online reviews through reactions on Twitter trends, Facebook pages, and even public listings like Trustpilot. Unfortunately, the content of those reactions matters.
According to BrightLocal statistics, 87% of consumers read online reviews about a business before committing their hard-earned money. Now, that figure will keep increasing, considering that tons of businesses are now moving shops online.
And even beyond the statistics, don’t you check reviews before buying a product? Say you don’t check reviews. But, you do ask your friend and family for recommendations before buying anything?
Short answer: you want quality assurance and you want to know the legitimacy of the business. And, the only way you can know if a business or seller can offer you that is by reading or asking what others think of the provider. That reason right there is why online reviews are crucial to making sales and building a reputation for your business!
Here are more reasons why you should prioritize online reviews:
3 Reasons Your Business Needs Online Reviews
Increased Visibility
Online reviews are also crucial to SEO efforts. The more customers talk about you, the more your brand name and keywords will appear on SERPs. This particular benefit is instrumental for local SEO and reputation management. And, you can think of it as employing your customers’ feedback as preachers of your credibility.
Improved Customer Relation
In addition to SEO, online reviews also help you put forth your human side. They let you show your audience the identity behind all your branding. And believe this, your customers want you to reply and react to their comments about your business. After all, we are all humans, and we love to be seen, heard, and acknowledged.
Perhaps you ask, what would you gain from all that interaction?
Product Development
Whether positive or negative, every customer feedback is a potential product development focus. How so?
If your customer praises an aspect of your business, you can replicate the features for other services that you offer. On the other hand, if your audience left a poor review about your product, you’d know what aspect to improve or if such a product would need a complete overhaul.
Either way, online reviews will help you fine-tune your business to meet your customers’ tastes and get even more sales. Awesome, eh?
However, note that learning how to manage your reviews first is crucial. That’s how you can use the feedback to your advantage. The following tips can help you!
How To Respond To Online Reviews – With Examples
Positive Online Reviews
Positive reviews are the easiest to manage and the best you can hope for to upscale your business. Now, when you get such feedback, here is how to reply:
- Address the reviewer by their name,
- Start with appreciation,
- Address the review from the point the reviewer raised,
- End the reply with a promotion offer – if you have any
Example:
Hi Jacob,
Thanks for your feedback. We’re glad that your business website now ranks on the first page of Google. Your patience made it all possible. By the way, we also offer GMB optimization as extras when you buy *3 of any of our services. Reach out to learn more about that offer!
Warm regards,
H2M Solutions
Negative Reviews
We understand that negative reviews are the last thing that you want for your business. But do you know they are not as disastrous as you think? In fact, you can turn them around as aids to convince your on-the-fence prospects. Here is how:
- Remember to thank the customer even if you’re angry about his feedback,
- Take responsibility for the shortcoming,
- Make amends and take the conversation offline as fast as possible
Example:
Hi Jacob,
We appreciate your feedback. We apologize that your website still lags even after our speed optimization. We’ll run an audit now and fix the issue. If you have any further queries, kindly contact us at (555)555-1234.
Sincerely,
H2M Solutions
Summary
Online reviews, either positive or negative, are crucial to the success of your business. They can help you assure your prospects of your credibility and gain more sales. However, ensure you learn to manage them well.
