In today’s internet age, purchasing decisions are heavily influenced by online reviews. And why wouldn’t they be? Reviews offer an incredible level of authentic insight that no marketing campaign could ever replicate. Think about it, when you’re considering a product or service, who do you turn to for advice?
Your friends and family, right? Well, the modern equivalent of that word of mouth is product reviews.
Businesses that have a solid reputation for quality products or services not only thrive but prosper – all thanks to the power of reviews.
And the numbers don’t lie! It’s estimated that over 99.9% of people read reviews at least occasionally when shopping online. Plus, keep this in mind: 91% of consumers acknowledged that positive reviews make them more likely to patronize a business.
And a staggering 79% of people trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. It might be time to start showing your reviews some serious love!
In this post, we’ll show you how to get product reviews on your website with 7 excellent tips and tools you can put into action right now.
Let’s get started.
Why Are Customer Reviews Important?
With online shopping becoming increasingly prevalent, it’s no surprise that online reviews have a big impact on consumer behavior. In fact, a whopping 93% of consumers say they’re influenced by online reviews when making a purchasing decision. That’s a huge percentage and shows just how important it is for businesses to maintain a positive online reputation.
When it comes down to it, online reviews are all about building trust with customers. For ecommerce sales, where shoppers can’t physically interact with products before buying, reviews serve as a valuable source of information and validation.
Online reviews play a vital role for potential customers, and here are some reasons why they are so important:
Get to know your customers better and make customer service even better:
When you take the time to read and analyze customer reviews, you gain valuable insights into how satisfied your customers are. These reviews give you direct feedback on what your customers really want and help you improve your customer service accordingly.
Credibility and Social Proof:
It’s no secret that we humans crave social interaction, and we often seek the opinions of others before making decisions. This holds true when it comes to purchasing products and services. Just as we would ask for recommendations from friends and family, online review sites allow us to tap into a wealth of social proof with just a few clicks.
Improved SEO ranking:
When it comes to search engine rankings, keywords drive the results. Google looks for content that features the main search term with the most frequency. But did you know that positive and high-quality customer reviews can play a big role in improving your rankings? Google treats reviews as content – much like blogs and videos – and prioritizes websites with plenty of quality content.
Increased conversion rates:
Positive reviews can significantly increase your conversion rates. Research shows that product pages with customer reviews experience brings 3.5 times more conversions than those without. When potential customers see that others have had a great experience with your business, they are more likely to make a purchase or engage your services.
Your customers become your marketers:
When your customers leave positive online reviews, they’re actually doing your marketing for you. These reviews act like mini advertising campaigns that continue to promote your business long after they’re posted. This means that potential customers are constantly seeing positive feedback, which helps create a good impression of your brand.
10 Ways To Increase Your Product Reviews
1. Make leaving product reviews easy
You probably already know that a positive customer experience is crucial to your business’s success. But did you know that customers who have a good experience are often unlikely to leave a review?
That’s right, negative experiences are even two to three times more likely to be shared. But don’t despair! If you want your happy customers to spread the word, you just need to make it simple for them.
Our top tip? Add a product review section for each item on your website! This not only helps potential customers make informed decisions, but it can also help you make more sales. It’s a win-win!
To make it even easier, use a well-designed form that’s short and sweet, highlights any errors, and limits the number of questions. Also, if you want more users to click on the submit button, make sure it stands out from the other buttons on the page.
Positive reviews can help create social proof, which is essential for your business.
You can include a link to the review section in your emails to customers. This way, they can leave a review with just one click, making it super easy and convenient for them.
Whether it’s a follow-up email or a gentle reminder at the end of their visit, a little nudge may be all it takes to get those positive reviews rolling in!
2. Ask the right questions
Asking the right questions is a crucial step in getting meaningful and relevant product reviews. To make sure that you’re getting the insights you need, you need to take the time to understand your target audience.
This means considering factors like their interests, concerns, and pain points. By aligning your questions with these key areas, you’ll be able to elicit the kind of information that will be most valuable to potential customers.
Ultimately, by ensuring that your questions are tailored to your target audience, you’ll increase your chances of getting valuable testimonials that will help you improve your products and services.
3. Boost Customer Reviews with Rewards and Contests
We all know that getting customers to leave reviews can be a challenge, but there are some great ways to incentivize them.
One simple way to do this is by offering rewards, such as a 10% off coupon, to every client who reviews your business. Not only will this encourage them to leave a review, but the surprise factor can also add an extra “wow” to their experience.
Coupons, discounts, and other rewards can incentivize repeat sales and encourage customers to engage with your business. Consider incorporating point systems to keep track of engagement and reward participation.
And if you want to up your game, social mentions are a fun way to reward customers too.
You could also run a contest to market your business with the help of your current customers. Taking these steps can help you boost your customer reviews and build a stronger relationship with your audience.
All in all, incentives are a must-have in your eCommerce marketing strategy, but be sure to use them wisely.
4. Follow up with buyers
Many of your customers probably gave you their email addresses to stay informed about their orders. So, why not use this chance to connect with them a few weeks after they’ve received their purchase?
You can send a friendly follow-up email to check-in and ask for their feedback. Interestingly, asking for reviews in post-purchase emails has an 8% response rate, which is quite high compared to other methods of getting reviews.
In this email, you can thank customers for their purchase and check if they’re happy with what they received.
You can also encourage them to leave a review for the products they bought by clicking on a link. Customers are more likely to click on the link and leave a review if they are satisfied with their purchase.
You can make this even more appealing by offering them a special 15% discount on their next order if they leave an honest review.
Your online shoppers might buy more than one thing at a time. So it’s not practical to send them follow-up emails for each item separately. Instead, it’s a good idea to include all the items your customer bought in one email, so they can review everything in one go.
Sending these follow-up emails is not only a good way to get reviews, but it also allows you to connect with your customers beyond the initial purchase. If someone responds to your email with a complaint, you can address the issue and resolve it.
These small moments can turn unhappy customers into happy ones and lead to positive reviews.
5. Leverage Social Media
In today’s digital world, social media is where most of us spend a good chunk of our time. With billions of people active on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, it’s no wonder that businesses are tapping into social media marketing to reach new customers.
But, with so many products and services out there, how do people know if what you’re offering is worth their time? This is where blending reviews into your social media marketing strategy can be a game-changer.
Reviews provide social proof and validate your product or service.
And when those reviews come with pictures, it’s even better! Customers can see that the feedback is coming from real people who have used your product. What’s more, the transparency of social media means that reviewers are using their real names and profile pictures.
So when you combine social media with reviews, you’re able to build trust and engage with customers in a more meaningful way.
6. Contact those who leave you glowing reviews
When you receive a glowing review on Yelp or a tagged photo on Instagram, it’s important to take the time to say thanks and engage with the customer who left it.
Not only does this help foster a positive relationship with that customer, but it also shows that you value their opinion and feedback. Asking for permission to share their shoutout on your own website or social media channels can also have benefits. It brings reviews to the forefront, making them more visible and encouraging other customers to leave reviews as well.
Focusing on your best reviews can also be an effective strategy for encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive feedback. By putting a spotlight on the positive experiences of others, you can inspire others to share their own positive experiences as well.
7. Contact those who leave you negative reviews
Negative reviews can be tough to swallow, but ignoring them won’t make them disappear. In fact, it could potentially hurt your business.
Take the time to respond to these reviews, particularly if the complaint seems legitimate or if other customers have reported similar problems. It’s important to listen to your clients and use their feedback to make necessary improvements. This can be an opportunity to turn a bad experience into a positive one by showing your dedication to customer satisfaction.
8. Use a Product Sampling Program
Getting review content for your brand or products can be challenging, especially if you don’t have many recent customers to provide feedback. Even the biggest brands and retailers face this challenge because new products often take time to get noticed and attract reviews. That’s where the product sampling campaign comes into play!
Creating a product sampling program can be a smart move because,
- – Everyone loves a freebie, right? Who doesn’t enjoy getting something for nothing? And that’s why offering free samples of your product is such a good idea.
- – Giving people a chance to experience your product for themselves is a powerful tool for introducing them to what you offer.
- – Plus, if someone likes what they get, they’re more likely to come back for more.
And if they love it, they’ll tell everyone they know about it, which is the best kind of advertising you can get. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved!
9. Put your reviews front and center
It’s no secret that customers rely heavily on reviews before making a purchase. So, why not make it easy for them to find those reviews by displaying them directly on your website?
Not only does this give potential buyers immediate access to valuable feedback from previous customers, but it also shows that you’re confident in your product or service.
Plus, having reviews prominently displayed on your website can improve your overall SEO and boost your credibility with visitors.
Here are some tips to display customer reviews on your website:
Include the customer’s name and picture when you post the testimonial
This handy tool allows you to add a piece of code to your website, creating a designated area where customer reviews can be displayed. The best part? You can embed reviews from a variety of different social media platforms and review sites, including Google My Business, Facebook Reviews, Amazon, Angie’s List, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and TrustPilot.
For WordPress users, things get even easier! Simply add a plugin to your website and all your reviews from different websites will be imported directly.
This is a great way to showcase your positive reviews and give potential customers the confidence they need to choose your products or services.
Pick the right reviews
To guarantee you’re giving your customers the best experience possible, it’s essential to pick the right reviews for your website. Reviews that are relevant to your business and, more importantly, your target market should be chosen.
Make sure your reviews align with your business and reflect the quality of your product or service. Your reviews should resonate with your audience and convince them to take action.
So be wise and pick well to bring value to your website!
10. Automate the Ask
In a world where online reviews can make or break a product, it’s essential to have a way to manage them. Luckily, there are several product review tools available to help you out.
One top-notch contender is Yotpo. What sets this platform apart is its data analytics and reporting capabilities. With Yotpo, you can see the big picture of your reviews and use that information to improve your marketing strategy, generate more reviews, and attract high-quality traffic.
Trustpilot is another awesome tool for medium to large-sized businesses that want to manage their reputation and build trust with customers.
With this tool, you can manage both positive and negative reviews and create widgets out of your best ones. This means you can showcase your best reviews wherever you like, including on your website and social media.
Trustpilot’s analytics dashboard is another great feature and allows you to monitor customer reviews and the performance of your brand reputation across the web.
The best part is that your customers can leave reviews and interact with each other through them. You can even reply to their reviews, which shows that you care about their feedback.
Plus, customers can ask questions about the product’s fit and feel and receive feedback from one another, which can boost consumer confidence in your offerings.
Wrapping Up
That’s it! Now you have 10 great ways to level up product reviews.
It’s really amazing the power that product reviews can have. It’s one of the most effective ways to give your brand more credibility without having to invest too much in advertising or promotion.
Giving customers a window into what past buyers have experienced with your product or service is how you increase customer trust, improve your reputation, and ultimately get more loyal customers.
So if you want to supercharge your retail operations, applying these 10 tips is a no brainer. Get started today and level up your reviews game!
