Best Marketing Strategies Using Customer Reviews

Positive customer reviews are golden. If you get enough of them, you can fire half of your marketing team.

Jokes aside, numerous e-commerce businesses focus on getting customer reviews more than on SEO and other marketing strategies.

The reason is that word-of-the-mouth marketing is still alive, especially in e-commerce.

We’ve all faced the “expectation vs reality” problem when shopping online. That’s why customer reviews are extremely valuable.

How can you tweak your marketing strategy to acquire amazing customer reviews as quickly as possible?

Let’s find out.

How To Encourage Customer Reviews

In order to take advantage of the golden reviews, you have to get them, duh. According to research from G2 Crowd, over 95% of shoppers read online reviews before making a purchase.

Here are a few ways you can encourage customer reviews:

1. Ask For It

Well, this is an easy one. You don’t get much unless you ask. Of course, you shouldn’t go crazy asking for reviews at every corner, but a gentle reminder wouldn’t hurt.

• Ask for customer reviews after the purchase is completed and the product is received.
• Ask for reviews at least once a month in one of your social media posts.
• Ask for reviews somewhere on your website but don’t make it sound too desperate.

2. Provide An Opportunity

Hardly any of your customers are ready to leave a review if it takes them more than two seconds to find a place to do it. Make it as easy as possible for the client to leave a review. Don’t ask a million question or make sharing personal information a requirement.

Leaving a review shouldn’t force the client to fill out more than two fields. Try to keep validation to a minimum, even though some is a must to avoid spammers.

Come up with a creative way for the customers to leave a review. For example, tell them not to worry about lengthy reviews and try to keep it short. Or just give them options to choose from (great, average, poor).

Make sure you are available on Yelp and similar sites for clients to review your work there.

3. Encourage Feedback

Many people have a fear of being the first one to leave a review. So as soon as you’ve got at least one review, don’t hesitate to make it visible and available. When a customer sees that people have already reviewed the product feedback, commenting becomes easier.

To help encourage new customers, reach for the old ones. Perhaps they used to buy your products at a brick-and-mortar store or on another website? Send them a nice email asking to share their reviews on your new website.

4. Offer Incentive

One of the most efficient ways to acquire reviews is to give out a few freebies. Ask the client to leave feedback in exchange for a 5% discount on the next purchase. This way you won’t just get a review but encourage an existing client to make a new purchase.

Did you know that 80 percent of your future profits would come from just 20 percent of your existing customers?

5. Use Email Marketing

Seek reviews via email from your existing customers. It’s a nice way to follow up with a client while asking for a review when the impressions are still fresh. Send an email about 7 to 10 days after the client has received the products.

By the way, it doesn’t matter whether they enjoy or hate your goods. Publish both types of reviews. Why? Because an overwhelming number of positive reviews makes people suspicious.

Today,review brushing is in full swing. When people don’t see negative reviews, they start doubting the positive ones.

6. Don’t Miss A Review

Use everything that looks like a review. For example, a few nice words you get in your Instagram Inbox or a verbal “thank you” over the phone can become a review.

The best marketing agencies in Toronto can help you reach your business goals by creating a comprehensive marketing strategy that takes all factors into account.

Whether you need social media, digital, or traditional marketing support, Toronto’s agencies have the expertise and creative solutions to put you on the map.

All you have to do is ask politely.  Does the person mind if you publish their words on your website?

How To Use Customer Reviews For Your Marketing Efforts

According to experts from a digital agency Miromind, customer reviews can improve your marketing efforts trifold, from SEO to brand awareness.

Here is how you should use them once they are available.

1. Place Reviews On The Key Pages Of Your Websites

Reviews only work if others see it. Place them on your highest traffic pages, such as homepage, checkout, pricing, etc. Make sure they are easy to find.

By placing reviews on your most important pages, you are improving your transparency and luring new clients in.

Add the name and, if possible, a photo of the client above the review for building stronger connections.

2. Respond To The Reviews ASAP

Once a client leaves a review, respond as soon as possible. If it’s a good review, say thank you and add some words about your never-ending efforts to achieve customer satisfaction.

If it’s a bad review, make sure you say how sorry you are and promise to deal with the problem as soon as possible.

While quick responses establish a connection with the client, they can also aid in your SEO efforts (if you use the right keywords, of course).

Don’t forget to check all the websites, where a customer may have left a review. You have to respond to reviews quickly no matter where they are published. You can also use sentiment analysis tools to know what your customers feel about you.

3. Insert Reviews Into Emails

When you are working on your email marketing strategies, inserting reviews in the messages can help tremendously.

It’s part of making the reviews readily available to the clients to help them make a decision. These reviews are especially useful for the abandoned cart recovery emails.

4. Share Reviews On Social Media

Once you get the long-awaited review, make the most out of it. Show it to everyone! By sharing the review via your social media account, you don’t just attract new customers, you show the existing ones how much their opinions matter.

5. Use Reviews In Your Ads

Adding reviews to your promotional materials can lure more clients in. The more you show off the reviews, the more work they can do for you.

Get Them Now

Reviews are an integral part of any e-commerce marketing campaign. Use the above tips to acquire as many customer reviews as possible and use them in the right manner.