You probably need more. When choosing a business to buy from, customers search for reviews by other customers. If you haven't got any, you're in danger of being overlooked.
Don't fear
the added attention of online reviews. While you can't control what consumers
say about your brand, there are ways to foster positive reviews among your
customers. Here are four steps to achieving them:
Expand
your social horizons.
We know who
the heavy hitters are when it comes to social networks: Facebook, Twitter, and
LinkedIn. When it comes to referrals, though, several other networks are worth
your attention. Yelp!, OpenTable, and Foursquare are huge for customers leaving
tips and reviews. Be sure to log in and see what's being said about your
business. Then…
Spend
some time there.
While it's
absolutely necessary for your business to have a presence on multiple social
channels, you can't stop there. To get the full value of social media, you need
to maintain an active, up-to-date presence on all of your business's social
outlets. If your customers see a Facebook page that isn't updated, or see that
other customers' comments and reviews haven't been acknowledged, they will see
no value in leaving a review themselves—unless it's negative.
This also
goes for networks like Yelp! and Foursquare. Take the time to interact with
customers who leave reviews. Acknowledge positive reviews and address negative
reviews. You'll encourage feedback and responses, which in turn will lead to
positive referrals.
Ask!
Encourage
your customers to leave referrals and make it easy for them to do so. This can
be as simple as having a call to action on receipts, in emails, or on other
marketing materials such as: "We want to hear what you think! Leave your
feedback online at (insert link)." Sometimes, a simple request is all it
takes.
Incentivize
and reward.
It's no
secret that people are more apt to do something when they get rewarded for
doing it. Some ideas to consider for encouraging customers to leave reviews
include: awarding points toward future purchases, entering reviewers into a
contest or giveaway, or recognizing them as a "brand expert" for
other customers to rely on after they've left a number of credible reviews.
You might
encounter some negative reviews. However, the positive effect of having an
active, involved presence online will outweigh the risks. It will provide a
perfect platform for addressing complaints when they do occur, giving you a
public opportunity to turn negative into positive. That's what effective PR and
marketing is all about.
