The modern digital world is built on credibility. Trust matters when you’re selling building products and services — or anything else. That’s why it’s so important to follow online reviews best practices.
Why Do Online Customer Reviews Matter?
Online reviews have become a crucial part of any product or service transaction. For many potential customers, reviews are one of the deciding factors. That’s the primary reason why online reviews best practices are so important.
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Building product marketers know they have to work hard to earn outstanding ratings. A business can have 100 great reviews, but a single bad review can still be influential if it makes a potential customer hesitate.
How To Get Positive Online Reviews: 5 Best Practices
It’s impossible to guarantee 5-star reviews, but there are some things product marketers can do to tip the balance in their favor.
1. Always Go The Extra Mile
When dealing a new client, the best approach is to over deliver. If you sell a product, make sure the shipping process is smooth and transparent. If you provide a service, go above and beyond to provide outstanding results.
2. Become a Master of Customer Service
Great customer service is the backbone of any business. This includes any interaction with the customer, including a prompt reply to an inquiry.
Don’t be caught flat-footed. If you are stretched thin on time, invest in reliable customer service staff.
3. Always Keep Your Cool
Don’t let your emotions control your reactions. When you’re dealing with a rude or difficult customer, stay calm and keep your emotions in check.
4. Respond to Every Review
Respond to all customer reviews — no matter if they are positive or negative. This is your chance to publicly explain the situation or offer to improve your service, but it also allows people to see that you’re actively responding to customer feedback.
5. Don’t Try to Hide Negative Reviews
It may seem counter-intuitive, but keep negative reviews visible on your website. This transparency gives you credibility and an opportunity to respond to the criticism in a meaningful way. (See point #4.)
What About Customer Review Websites?
All the reviews about your business or product aren’t on your website. Just think about all the reviews on Amazon or Yelp. There are customer review sites for everything.
These websites can be good and bad for your business. If the reviews are good, they are a great way for interested customers to learn about you. If the reviews are bad, they can be damaging.
This means that you need to be on the lookout for any negative reviews and respond accordingly. (See point #5 above.)
Harness the Power of Online Reviews
Smart companies make use of good customer feedback. They offer incentives to get it, and they create promotional content around it when they do.
If you’ve done the hard work of making sure customers are 100% satisfied, this is the payoff. And once the positive reviews start to come in, a smart building product marketer focuses on promoting those quality reviews to grow their brand.
Online reviews best practices work for building product marketers because they build trust. What marketer doesn’t want that?
Written By Candace Shackelford