We are living in the age of R&R – Reviews and Ratings! If we want to buy anything today, we will see if the rating of that brand is more than 4 stars or not. From needles to airplanes, shopping today is done with the help of reviews and ratings. This is one of the biggest challenges for businesses and brands today. If one tries to ignore this, one has to be prepared to suffer the consequences. The simple thing is; If we don’t pay attention to this today, you will leave it in people’s hands to create the perception of your brand.
Let us try to understand the reviews and ratings. Why is this necessary, its advantages and disadvantages, how to manage it, etc.
Today customers trust you, your business and brand based on reviews and ratings. Customers may not believe everything you have to say about your business. At such times, s/he will rely more on the words spoken by the third person and hence reviews are important. According to research, as many as 84% of consumers noted that reviews played an important role in their purchase decisions. Additionally, 68% of people form their opinion about a product or service after seeing one to six reviews.
Reviews also validate your expertise in the eyes of potential customers. They prove that you have successfully helped others overcome a specific challenge or achieve a specific goal. Thus, you establish yourself as a skilled brand owner.
Reviews are as important to businesses as they are to consumers. For example, this helps you establish a strong relationship with potential customers, and also gives you the opportunity to charge a premium price for your products if you have a good reputation. According to a study, consumers may be willing to pay 22% more for certain products if the company has a good reputation.
Today we rely on Google reviews. Google wants to provide searchers with content that is backed by expertise, provided by authoritative sources, and is as reliable as possible. Based on these three criteria, it is more likely that such a brand will rank higher in search results. When Google sees numerous positive reviews of your brand, it signals to them that your brand has a good reputation and as a result Google is more likely to rank your site higher.
Now how can you take advantage of these positive reviews to promote your brand. First of all, display your positive reviews on your website so that it serves as a proof to anyone who visits your website. Second, you can use your reviews as part of your marketing. Share this on your social media or in marketing emails. Also, don’t miss out on the SEO benefits of online reviews. Identify the words your audience use when they are in the purchase consideration stage.
Now the question will be, how to increase positive reviews? If your product or service is good, naturally you will get some positive reviews from happy customers. But there are additional steps you can take to increase the number you receive. The easiest and most obvious way, if you sell a product, is to create a simple email that is automatically sent to buyers after a certain period of time. This email should make it as easy as possible to provide reviews, whether that’s embedding the form directly into the email or providing direct links to review sites like Google. Things like discounts on future purchases or promo codes for free shipping can also be considered essential to getting reviews. If selling products online, a post-purchase survey asking about customer satisfaction with things like checkout, shipping, and product quality is a way to get more positive reviews. If you include comments in a survey, you can collect positive feedback and then use this in a variety of ways.
Importantly, how to respond to positive reviews. When you receive a positive review, it’s important to respond. The response need not be long or in-depth. It just needs to show that you are grateful to your customers and committed to staying connected with them. This not only builds a relationship between you and your audience, but also encourages other customers to leave reviews.
As positive reviews are received, negative reviews are also encountered and are often viewed in greater numbers. This is because today’s young generation believes that they have the right to express their opinion.
Provide the best customer experience from start to finish to reduce the number of negative reviews you receive. These include product or service quality, easy access to specific products or services, simple checkout process if an online business, simple website that is easy to navigate, sufficient information to make a purchase decision and precise contact process if more information is needed.
Another effective way to avoid negative reviews is to provide complete answers to commonly asked questions. By this the customer will know that s/he is buying a genuine brand. Consider putting a guarantee behind your product or service. If customers know you are committed to giving them the best possible experience, they are more likely to contact you before leaving a negative review. This gives you a chance to fix the problem.
Most importantly, how to respond to negative reviews. Inevitably, you will occasionally receive negative reviews. Instead of ignoring it, use it as an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to your customers. Respond directly to the review, apologizing for any problems and offering a specific way to fix the problem. Even if this doesn’t completely satisfy the unhappy customer, it shows that you really care about your customers. Other people who read negative reviews will see that you really tried to solve the problem, which will really show how much people understand your brand.
So, to conclude, reviews and ratings are directly related to your brand reputation. They influence customer buying behavior, your search engine ranking, your perceived value and ultimately, your bottom line i.e., net profit. Hence investing in online reputation today can give you the long-term positive results you want.
This article was originally published in Mumbai Samachar – a leading Gujarati-language daily newspaper published in India. This article has been written by Mr. Sameer Joshi, Founding Partner – Sam & Andy.