Online feedback is a critical tool for connecting with your audience. While 75% of customers avoid traditional advertising, 91% trust customer reviews under the right circumstances.
Reviews should be authentic and contain a mix of positive and negative feedback. You can turn either type of review into an effective marketing tool when you know how to use customer feedback properly.
Respond to Your Customers
Always respond to your customer feedback, especially when it’s shared publicly on a third-party review site or social media. This response is your opportunity to show current and potential customers that you’re committed to their satisfaction. If you receive a negative review, take immediate steps to address the concern:
- Publicly apologize for a negative experience.
- Outline basic steps that you will take to remedy the problem (for example, “we offer full refunds for unopened products returned within 90 days”).
- Provide information on how the customer can contact you directly to pursue a resolution.
- Reach out via a private message to start the dispute resolution process.
When you receive a positive review, offer a quick note of thanks as well as some personalized feedback. For example, if customers tell you that they love your pomegranate body scrub, you may say, “Thanks! We love that scent too. In fact, we’ve recently rolled out a pomegranate body wash as well!”
Expand Your Reach With Prominent Review Placements
Publicize positive reviews to expand your reach and connect with new potential customers. Feature positive reviews in a prominent spot on your website. This featured placement enables first-time visitors to easily grab a snapshot of what other customers think about you. You can also share some of your best reviews by cross-posting on social media.
Grab a screenshot of a great Twitter review to highlight on Facebook so that it reaches a wider audience to increase your sales.
Consider turning some of your happiest customers into brand ambassadors. Reach out and let them know how you can partner with them. You could provide free samples in exchange for honest reviews shared to customers’ Instagram accounts, Facebook pages, or blogs.
Reward Your Reviewers
Offer special rewards for reviewers who leave positive comments. You can’t legally promise a reward in exchange for every review, but you can dispense special goodies at your discretion for select customers.
You could send them branded products such as a T-shirt, keychain, or sticker. You could also offer sample size products that give them a chance to try something new. For example, offer to send the reviewer who loved your chocolate peanut butter bar one of your new chocolate raspberry bars to sample.
Highlight Your Brand’s Personality
As you’re interacting with your reviewers, use your brand’s distinctive voice so that you can solidify the personality that fits your business. This brand voice might be chatty and casual, sophisticated and informative, or quirky and funny. Take the time to research your key demographic and find out what voice will connect best with your audience. An amusing or intriguing response to a customer review can go viral and instantly expand your reach.
Make the best possible use of your customer feedback so that this feedback can become an outstanding tool for business growth.