Online review management is more important than ever. For business owners, the market is a very different place than it was just a couple of years ago. Consumer behaviour patterns have all been disrupted and are no longer a given.
With so many new, hard-to-account-for factors influencing your customers this year, forward-thinking business owners are leveraging the ‘new normal’ by ensuring their online reputation is strong.
You’d better believe that consumers are going online and checking you out! Turn your online reputation into a strength this holiday shopping season.
We've helped many businesses to use online review management to empower them. Here's why it matters.
Customer feedback
Online reviews are the purest form of market analysis. It's your most direct, reliable source of that oh-so-valuable customer feedback.
Pay close attention to what your customer base is publicly sharing about you. Staying engaged ensures that not only are you part of organic, value-laden conversations, but you’re also steering them and improving your trust index in real-time.
Product feedback
If shoe salesman Thabo's best-selling shoe has fit issues, the fastest and most efficient way to realise that is by paying close attention to his review community.
And if farmer Mary's customer base demands sustainable farming methods, she can pivot in real-time by paying attention to her reviews and feedback.
You may think you have all your bases covered with your FAQ and product research processes. However, it's impossible to anticipate every single customer’s experience. Taking their product and user feedback to heart, messages to your consumers that their opinion matters while giving your business an invaluable insight tool.
Communication plan
According to Kantar TNS’s Connected Life research, just 36% of connected South Africans trust branded social media content to be reliable. Customers just don’t take businesses at face value anymore. They're looking beyond the price tag in search of holistically positive consumer experiences.
Don’t just tell them – show them that you’ve got the experiences they’re looking for by turning your customer success stories and reviews into unique, organic and, most important of all, trusted messaging.
So now we’ve addressed how reviews will help grow your business. The next question you’re asking yourself is how to turn your active and potential customer base into a valuable review community.
Everyone wants to feel like they are part of the solution. After a transaction, don’t be afraid to ask customers for feedback.
Give your customers something to write home about! This means well-trained staff and a well-conceived product line for people to rave about. If appropriate, follow up with your customers, and use that feedback to improve their experiences and your product line.
Once you’ve got people talking, make sure you’re part of the conversation by ensuring that you set up your business to respond to reviews timeously and with intent. Remember that all reviews, good or bad, can be leveraged for your brand.
Remember that customers are taking time out of their busy lives to leave reviews. Make sure the process is easy and streamlined. Also, let them know they are appreciated. This costs you nothing and could turn a reviewer into a customer for life!
These days, maximising engagement ROI is crucial. You simply cannot afford to get it even slightly wrong.
Partner with the experts! Hellopeter not only provides you and your customers a curated space to engage, Hellopeter Business also provides a host of customisable widgets and badges to suit your website needs.
All of this helps make it easy to showcase reviews and ratings across your site pages. Your business can also use your Hellopeter profile page as a review hub to attract customers more easily, see automatic SEO benefits and become more discoverable. Not only can partnering with the experts improve your Google Search Ranking, but also your Google Star Rating.
So, what are you waiting for? Try your free Hellopeter Business account today or contact us find out just how much value your review community can create!