If you’re running a business that delivers a service or product, it’s time to prioritise your customer reviews.
What your customers say about you is incredibly important when it comes to standing out from competitors and building brand loyalty with your target audience. Nowadays, word of mouth and positive reviews matter more than ever — just think about the power of influencer marketing in some industries!
So, if you’re ready to prioritise your customers’ reviews, here’s everything you need to know so you and your business can benefit.
What is a customer review?
A customer review is a type of feedback delivered by someone who has purchased your business’s services or products.
Customer reviews can come in many forms, either online through the Google search engine, on specific review sites like TrustPilot, or via email or direct message.
The purpose of a customer review is for the customer to highlight their experience and the quality of your services or products. Positive reviews can act as recommendations to other buyers, and negative reviews can provide constructive criticism and steps to improve, but can also negatively impact sales.
Why are customer reviews important?
Online customer reviews are essential when we look at buyer behaviours. A 2022 study on ‘The Impact of Online Reviews on Consumers’ Purchasing Decisions’ revealed that 93% of consumers say online reviews influence their purchasing decisions.
In this way, one bad review could encourage someone to either avoid or choose your business offerings.
Positive reviews can bring tons of benefits to all types of businesses, from freelance businesses and start-ups to global companies. Here’s why customer reviews are one of the best (and free!) marketing tools for businesses:
- They can build trust and credibility: When past customers feel confident in their purchase with you, so will potential customers. A batch of positive reviews will show that your business offerings are valuable, useful, and worth the investment.
- They boost your business visibility: If you have a Google My Business account, it’s worth remembering that Google highlights and promotes businesses with lots of positive reviews. This is very beneficial towards SEO efforts.
- They can improve your customer service efforts: All feedback, whether positive or negative, can show you what’s working well in your business and what isn’t.
And the big one…
- They can encourage more sustainable sales: Positive reviews could be the final push that prospective buyers need to invest in your service. When they see that someone else has benefited from your products or services, they’ll be more inclined to follow suit.
Where should you post customer reviews?
Once you’ve received a positive customer review, you can use it across multiple marketing channels. For example, some great places to post your reviews for best results include:
- Your business website
- Email newsletters
- Leaflets, flyers, brochures, and posters
- In-store signage
- Product packaging
You don’t have to display the full review, either. Just pick out a line or two that showcase the benefit of your business to prospective customers.
Positive and negative reviews: What to do with your feedback
Getting positive customer feedback is amazing — and there’s no feeling quite like it. However, not all businesses are perfect, and every business receives negative reviews at some point or another.
What’s important to remember is that you can’t please every customer, even if you try to. What you can do, though, is respond in the very best way and make improvements to the customer experience wherever possible.
How to respond to positive reviews
- Give genuine thanks. Reply to the review to say thank you, or send a quick email back to show your appreciation to the customer for taking the time to leave a nice review.
- Share them far and wide. Promote your positive reviews on some of the mediums we mentioned above.
- Encourage more reviews from customers. Why not add a small reminder to your leaflet, or add a follow-up message to your email marketing funnel to remind happy customers to leave a review?
How to respond to negative reviews
- Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. No one likes to be disappointed by a product or service, so remember to stay calm and professional. Respond promptly and politely, acknowledge their feelings, and offer a resolution wherever possible.
- Never ignore a bad review. It can be tempting to push a bad review to the back of your mind, but remember — future customers will be able to see if you handle feedback with grace, or ignore it. In these scenarios, a gracious reply could actually work in your favour.
- Learn from it and make improvements. Can you use the bad review to make improvements in your services or products? Put a spin on it, and use the review content to drive positive change in your business instead.
Share your positive reviews far and wide with leaflet distribution services
At Essex Leaflet Angel, we offer leaflet distribution services in Essex which can successfully promote your business to thousands of potential customers in your local area. Take a look at the areas we cover and our transparent prices to learn more.
For any questions or to enquire about leaflet distribution in Essex and how we can support your business, feel free to get in touch with our friendly team by filling out our contact form or calling 01702 780 027.