It goes without saying that you need to ensure an impeccable customer experience if you want to increase your brand loyalty and keep your retention rate elevated. What do customers value in online shopping most? Speed, ease of search, and the ability to receive goods without leaving their home. All these perks can be backed up by progressive web apps that don’t even require installation. As the best PWA examples indicate, retailers resort to such a fast and user-friendly solution for living up to the customers’ expectations.
One of the ways to convert more leads is to offer a playground for writing reviews and constantly encourage your audience to interact with your brand. But why is it so important? In this post, we’ll introduce you to the importance of client feedback and why it should be used as leverage. Plus, we’ll give recommendations on how to get your buyers to leave reviews.
Reasons to Incorporate Reviews Into Your Website
Positive reviews contribute to better search engine ranking, especially for a local business. It is a strong signal for search engines and potential buyers that a company is trustworthy and authoritative.
But when it comes to the benefits for any business in general, having feedback and a star rating of your products and services on your own website can serve as grounds for obtaining product-rich results in the SERP for search queries. Check out the screenshot below. See the star rating in the page result? It wouldn’t have been possible if the page didn’t display product reviews.
Screenshot taken on Google
Another important reason is a phenomenon which is known as social proof and it is a powerful digital marketing strategy for converting leads. As figures show, about 95% of buyers look at ratings before placing an order and believe word-of-a-mouth.
We are innately interested in the real experience with the product, what people liked, and what we should be aware of. We trust our family and friends’ advice and the opinions of other consumers too.
Here is an example of a review on the Amazon online store. Here we see that the customer fully described the characteristics of the product and the emotions about buying it. She also attached a real-life photo of herself and specified her parameters so that anyone could compare them to theirs.
Screenshot taken on the Amazon website
5 Ways to Inspire Clients to Leave Reviews
But how do you get customers to share feedback about your products or services? Without further ado, let’s look at the 5 ways to inspire customers to make their statements.
Simply Ask Them to Leave a Review
As easy as it sounds, you just need to ask your client a direct question. For example, attach the reviews form to an email and ask specific questions:
- If the customers are satisfied;
- What exactly they liked;
- Why they decided to purchase the product;
- Whether their expectations were met.
It will be good if the client can tell a story related to the product, for example, under what circumstances the item was chosen and what events accompanied its purchase.
For example, a French cosmetics and perfumery brand, L’Occitan, provides simple CTAs and personally asks to leave a review, stressing that it is essential for their prosperity.
Image credit: Coschedule
Pick the Right Time Frame
Different optimal times correspond to different goods and services. Сonsider the delivery date of the product and several days for use.
Keep in mind that asking for an assessment at the wrong time can lead to a buyer leaving a negative review. It will be read by hundreds of more people who will be in two minds whether to buy from you.
There are various points where you can invite customers to comment on their experience and the likelihood of getting a positive response will be high:
- After they experience or demonstrate the success of your product or service;
- When they re-purchase or re-order;
- After they mention your brand in a social media post;
- If they spend time on your website looking at other products or services;
- If they introduce another client to you.
For example, Etsy, a marketplace for selling hand-made goods, sends a request for feedback about a month after the customer received it so that the client has enough time to enjoy and test the product in practice.
Image credit: Hubspot
Uber, in turn, offers to describe the experience of the trip and the driver immediately after it ends. And the Duolingo language learning app asks to rate it on the App Store after completing a lesson or reaching a certain milestone in language learning.
Make It Pleasant & Easy
Your customers might want to make a statement, but you still don’t see your site stuffed with stars and captivating stories. Think of possible reasons why it happens. It is hardly a matter of shyness or modesty of your customers.
Probably, you need to reconsider the accessibility of leaving reviews to close the gap between having an opinion and the effort to express it. Companies accelerate this process to seconds by using templates and buttons, collecting testimonials on channels where customers are most active and receptive.
Even the happiest customers are busy people and the reason they may shy away from writing a review is because of lack of time. If buyers realize that it takes too long to formulate their opinion, select arguments, and provide photographs, they will rather close the tab with feedback.
Your strategy, in this case, is to note that “It will only take a few minutes” and change the client’s inclination in your favor. Look below how Airbnb implements this practice.
Image credit: Edesk
Provide Reasons & Motivation
Reasons entail such incentives to leave a comment as free shipping or coupons for another purchase. Giving customers extra motivation kills two birds with one stone for your marketing strategy. It is not only reviews that you can get but also a satisfied buyer, more sales, and added retention.
The key is not to push a customer to write positive reviews but to write anything that they seem important to share.
For instance, a tea and teaware selling company, Adagio, transforms writing a review and brand promotion into a point-earning game. These points may turn into a certificate which saves you up to 10$!
Image credit: Adagio
Don’t Leave the Rewies to Fate
So you succeed in dragging a customer’s attention and converting them into reviewers. That’s great, but be sure to regularly get back to them. Reading a huge pile of someone’s thoughts can take a very long time, but it will become an additional impetus for communicating with customers directly.
Remember to thank for any opinion and offer your solution if a customer had a poor experience with your company.
Mistakes happen all the time and that’s what makes us human beings different from automated machines. When dealing with a one-star review, take your time and respond politely. It’s crucial to go the extra mile and not to become too defensive.
As the screenshot from the NARS Cosmetics website illustrates, the official representative of the company who is a professional artist courteously addressed the negative review by suggesting a sufficient solution with how to correctly apply the product.
Screenshot taken on the NARS Cosmetics website
You can include keywords in your response so that in the future your company will top in the search. For example, you may write “We appreciate your feedback of (the name of your business or product). We strive to be the best (type of business) in (name of your city).”
Conclusion
As you know, if the clients are satisfied, they will not say anything about it. If not, they will make it clear to you and any place where they can leave a comment or complaint. However, this does not mean that only praise should be posted. People will suspect that something is amiss if all product reviews are flawless. Also, if you post a critical opinion and respond to it publicly with a suggestion to resolve the issue, it will build brand loyalty and trust.
Finally, remember the importance of thanking your customers for any evaluation and time spent. Employ every opportunity and different social media to show customers that you care about them and strive to cooperate to resolve the misunderstandings that have arisen. As a result, you will notice how the ratings, as well as your profit, will arrive in overwhelming numbers.
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About the Author
Kate Parish
Kate Parish, Chief Marketing Officer at Onilab with 8+ years of experience in Digital Marketing and website promotion. Kate always strives to stay in pace with the ever-advancing online world, and the sphere of Magento PWA development. Her expertise includes in-depth knowledge of SEO, branding, PPC, SMM, and the field of online sales in general.