The Blog

We all know that reviews matter but do we really know exactly how reviews can help your online business? This blog aims to hep you understand why reviews matter in 2019 and how to increase the number of reviews your business gets.

The major reason reviews matter is that potential customers care about them. The number of reviews affect social proof and how your business is viewed. Ensure you have plenty of new, updated reviews that show that old issues have been resolved. Even if you didn’t have negative reviews before, the lack of new reviews makes people wary of working with you. These old reviews don’t necessarily reflect the business’ current reputation and the customer service experienced by recent shoppers. Don’t leave people guessing if your service is the same in 2019 as it was in 2014. These reviews also help you stand out from the competition and help build a relationship of trust between you and your potential consumers.

You understand why reviews are important but just how do you get more customers to leave reviews?

First thing’s first: make it simple. Show your customers that you’re eager to hear how their experience was and that their voice is valued in your organisation.

You can also try rewarding your customers. Now, we’re not saying pay for reviews. That’s not honest and is unlikely to garner genuine opinions. However, you can offer rewards or entry into a monthly prize draw. Just something that entices people to tell you how they feel.

Sending a follow up email is also a great idea. Etsy contacts customers and asks them to leave a review and reported that 25% customers leave a review as a result. Pretty impressive. Email is cost effective and can pay out dividends. Send this requests out quickly but not too quickly. Allow people to actually experience the product or service but ensure the purchase is still fresh in their mind.

Another way to majorly improve responses is to make it easy! A blank text box can feel intimidating. Use a star system or ask questions for them to answer in their review such as: why they bought the product, would they buy again, would they shop with your store again etc. By making a review a simple task, you’ll encourage many more people to give feedback.

Ensure your review page is mobile friendly. More people than ever are using their phone or tablet as their primary access to the internet. Don’t miss out on potential reviewers by making your page inaccessible to them.

Make sure to thank reviewers regularly. Maybe just spend 15 minutes once a week going through, addressing what was written in the review and cultivate a great, personal relationship with clients.

Reviews truly are vital for many businesses and this guide should give you all the tools you need to get as many of them as possible.