3 Ways to Google-Proof Your Product Reviews
These days, potential customers are more likely to check online reviews before they buy a product than they are to ask a friend or family member for a recommendation. In fact, according to BrightLocal’s 2018 Consumer Review Survey, 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
What does that mean for your small business? It means that if you’re not paying attention to your online reputation, you could be losing out on customers. Here are three ways to make sure your product reviews are up to snuff.
1. Respond to all reviews—good and bad.
2. Encourage happy customers to leave reviews.
3. Use negative reviews as an opportunity to improve your business.
Let’s dive into the detail…
1. Respond to all reviews—good and bad.
When customers take the time to leave a review—positive or negative—it’s important to show that you value their feedback by responding promptly. Thanking customers for their positive reviews is a no-brainer, but you shouldn’t ignore the negative ones either. According to customer service experts, responding to negative reviews is an opportunity to turn unhappy customers into brand advocates. Nobody’s perfect, and owning up to your mistakes shows that you’re willing to work hard to resolve any issues your customers might have experienced.
2. Encourage happy customers to leave reviews.
The best way to get more positive reviews is simply by asking your satisfied customers if they wouldn’t mind leaving one. You can do this via email, social media, or even in person at the point of sale. If you have a physical location, you can also put up signs encouraging customers to leave reviews on popular review sites like Google or Yelp. Just make sure you’re not offering any incentive for leaving a positive review, as this could violate the terms of service for some review sites and get your business removed from their listings entirely.
3. Use negative reviews as an opportunity to improve your business.
No matter how hard you try, there will always be the occasional dissatisfied customer who leaves a negative review no matter what you do (and sometimes, these people might even be trolls). But instead of getting upset, use these reviews as an opportunity learn where your business might be falling short so you can make improvements. For example, if you notice that a lot of customers are complaining about a particular issue, take steps to resolve it ASAP so future customers don’t have the same experience. Online customer reviews can be frustrating at times, but if you take them in stride and use them constructively, they can actually help your business grow by giving you valuable insight into what your customers want and need from you .
To conclude…
Online customer reviews can make or break your small business—literally—so it’s important to pay attention to what people are saying about you online . By following the tips above ,you can encourage more positive reviews ,while still using negative ones as an opportunity for growth . Taking the time t o manage your online reputation is well worth it when it comes ton today’s digital landscape .