It can be hard to differentiate your business in a culture where anything is available at the fingertips. How do you set yourself apart and bring customers to you? How do you keep customers coming back? Here are a few ways online reviews can help you break into your target audience.
How to Get Customer Reviews
Sometimes, it’s as easy as asking. Reviews can be left in many places like Facebook, Google or Yelp, meaning that a majority of people have an account where they can access reviews about businesses. Because there are so many platforms, it’s important to ensure your business is steadily growing reviews. For example, many restaurants have a reward system for customers where if they leave a good review, they receive a free dessert or drink. This method can work for any business. If you see a customer who is satisfied, simply ask if they would consider leaving a review. This grows the quantity of reviews and again builds trust with potential consumers.
Help Customers Find You
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial if you want your website to appear on major search engines like Google and Yahoo. Reviews are a great way to boost your ranking and get you on the first page of results.
Build Confidence with the Community
Reviews help legitimize and show potential customers what sets you apart from the competitors in the field. A steady stream of great reviews shows the public that a business can continuously provide an excellent experience.
Feedback on the Business
Reviews are a way to have a fresh set of eyes to give your business positive and negative feedback. While it is great to have a large number of reviews, if a majority are negative, this will keep potential customers from your business. This is an opportunity to improve the negative aspects of the business and push your business forward. It is also a great way to capitalize on the positive reviews and continue to exercise behavior that brings customers back.
Create a Conversation
Not all reviews are positive, but each of them do need a response. As a business owner, it is important to show consumers that their opinion is heard and valued. A negative review may come from miscommunication or misunderstanding and answering the review can resolve the situation and build trust with readers. Read about how to handle a negative review here.
Celebrate Success
Okay you’ve done the work and gotten amazing reviews, now what? Do not be afraid to share your success! Many businesses use their reviews as advertisements on social media or billboards. The greatest spokespeople for future customers are past customers. Your customers want to celebrate your success with you!
Customer reviews are still fairly new to the online world, but they are quickly becoming the best way to check how a business is doing, create a conversation with customers and boost business. Reach out to one of our social media managers to see how your business can utilize and flourish from online customer reviews.
Southern View Media is a digital marketing agency that was created to help local businesses understand the complex digital world and make educated decisions regarding their marketing. We are a balance of talent, intuition, business sense, media solutions and metrics to be a creative problem-solving machine that is fueled by client needs and driven by results, and we are ready to provide businesses with marketing and advertising services at any level. From standing out to breaking into a market we help people find you, trust you, and share you. Contact us to find out how we can help with your business’s digital presence. For a free consultation to formulate a strategic and affordable plan, call us today at 251-517-9425, email us or fill out the contact form here!
