How do you collect customer reviews?
Written by Barry Eichhorn
Owner & AI Advisor
Why are customer
reviews / ratings important?
In today's digital world, customer reviews are an essential part of a company's online reputation. When a potential new customer sees plenty of positive reviews, it immediately builds a bond of trust. Positive customer reviews contribute to the credibility of a product or service. But how do you collect customer reviews effectively? And which strategies can you implement to integrate them into your marketing strategy? Read all about it in this blog.
Collecting customer reviews
There are various ways to collect customer reviews. You can ask customers to share their experience directly after a purchase or service. Email campaigns are effective here; send follow-up emails after a purchase with a link to a review platform. You can also consider offering incentives, such as discounts for customers who leave a review. This encourages customers to leave a review.
There are also various widget tools available online that can display all your collected Google reviews on your site, so that customers immediately get a trustworthy first impression. Customer reviews can also be an opportunity for customer service. By responding openly and empathetically to negative reviews with a solution, other customers see that you put the customer first as a company. This contributes to customer loyalty.
There are various tools available that can automate the process of collecting customer reviews. Platforms such as Trustpilot offer automated solutions for collecting and managing customer feedback. These tools can be integrated into your website or e-commerce platform, making it easier to collect and manage feedback. Bear in mind, though, that such platforms are not cheap. If you decide to use Trustpilot, you need a clear strategy and you really have to put it to work to earn back the costs it entails.
You can also create email marketing workflows in various CRM systems such as HubSpot and Salesforce. Within the CRM environment they offer software integration options with other email marketing platforms. These make sure that when a customer makes a purchase on the website, a message is automatically sent to remind the customer to leave a review.
Tools for automating customer reviews
The most widely used platforms for collecting reviews
Trustpilot and Google Reviews are two of the most prominent platforms where customers share their reviews and experiences of businesses and services. Both platforms have their own unique advantages and features that set them apart.
Trustpilot, founded in Denmark, has spread quickly across the world and has become a favourite for both businesses and consumers. What makes Trustpilot appealing is its emphasis on transparency. Businesses cannot simply delete negative reviews, which gives a fair and balanced picture of customers' experiences. It does cost something to use this platform, though, so once again make sure the strategy is clear and well executed.
Google Reviews is a platform that is closely integrated with other Google products such as Google Search or Google Business Profile. When customers search for a business or service on Google, the reviews are often one of the first things they see. This means that positive reviews on Google Reviews can have a considerable influence on the first impression a potential customer gets of a business. Furthermore, the influence of Google Reviews goes beyond visibility alone. Good reviews can actually contribute to an improved SEO ranking, giving businesses a better position in search results and potentially driving more organic traffic to their website.
Marketing strategies around reviews
Reviews can be an integral part of your marketing strategy. By highlighting positive reviews in your marketing material, you can increase the trust of potential customers. In addition, negative reviews can be used as an opportunity to show how you respond to feedback and strive for continuous improvement.
So never get into an argument over negative feedback, but show that you understand the customer's situation. If you want to keep things neutral, you can also suggest that they get in touch. When a customer sends photos or video with a positive review, you can ask for permission to use them as content on social media channels. That way you can always turn a review or customer rating into very valuable content.
We help companies to BE Digital
When it comes to digitalising your business, BE Digital is the specialist! We understand not only the importance of customer reviews, but also how they can be effectively integrated into your overall digital strategy. Choose BE Digital and take the next step in your digital transformation. Get in touch, no obligation.