How to Get Amazing Reviews for Your Business

Nothing can bring a company to its knees than a lot of terrible reviews. Whether you are a small enterprise or a multinational conglomerate, a vast negative reputation will make you fear for your survival. Bad reviews can quickly turn into PR nightmares as well as risk throngs of potential customers turning away from you.

If you need some convincing then here is some food for thought. According to the website Telegraph, one out of every five companies in the UK is losing about 30,000 pounds a year because of bad reviews.

On the flip side, glowing reviews can turn your business into a sales engine. A single good review by the right individual can turn an upstart company into an overnight success. On a more positive note than our last examples, there are a lot of stories out there of great reviews rocketing companies to new heights.

I mean nearly all of us know a story or two about authors getting featured by Oprah, and suddenly their books fly off the shelves the very next day. Or how about those products going on “Shark Tank” and suddenly their websites lock up from all the orders after the episode airs.

Truth be told, old and new businesses strive through great word of mouth. Especially today, where one person’s opinion can be seen throughout the internet. So most companies today are willing to spend a lot just to get generally positive reviews on their websites and other affiliates.

Good reviews are not that hard to achieve if your companies can be consistent on a few things. However, before we go into any of that, it might be a good idea to find out the best places where your company can go to get those great reviews.

The Best Places For Great Business Reviews

Review Buzz– A great reviews resource site where you can post, search, and even get reviews. They also have a tool that allows business to manage their reviews

Yelp– One of the top review sites

Tripadvisor– The top site on reviews about the tourism industry

Amazon– The top site for product reviews

How To Build Amazing Reviews For Your Business

Nothing Beats Great Service

You can do all the tips below, but without great service, there is absolutely no way you will go far. If your customer, both existing and potential, ask you a question or file a complaint, then you should reply as quickly as you can.  Why is this important? Well, a study from the website Dialogtech states that a whopping 59 percent of customers are more likely to buy from a company who answers them in under a minute.

But of course, merely answering quick isn’t the only requirement for excellent service. Your staff should be able to answer questions in a courteous, professional, and complete manner. They should also be trained well to answer all the questions about your product or service in a satisfactory way.

Don’t forget the follow-ups. Customers will be delighted to know that you care about them even after you have answered their questions or after they bought something from you.

Last but obviously not the least, deliver on your brand’s promises whether it is about product quality or timely deliveries.

Appreciate your fans

If you have loyal customers who give you great reviews, then don’t forget to provide them with a shout back. Maybe you can thank them through comments or even private messages. From time to time, you can choose random fans to give a small token from your side.

Here is a little nugget. According to Helpscout, feeling unappreciated is the number one reason customers turn away from a brand. So remember, keep buttering up those who are loyal to you!

Take care of the haters

There are always going to be negative reviews especially if your brand and service start reaching out to more and more people. This is attributed to the fact that customers who had bad experiences on a brand are 91 percent more likely to take some sort of action.

So what can you do? Well, for starters you can own up to your own mistakes and say politely on how you can improve on it next time.

If your negative review comes from an unreasonable customer, then politely tell your side of the story. The customer is not always right, but still, try to be respectful each chance that you get.

Lastly, don’t forget to thank your customers for taking the time to comment on your brand whether it is negative or positive.

Be visible across all platforms

If there is something that people hate, it is when stores are just so hard to reach. While a reply is critical, it is equally essential to be seen across multiple platforms. Customers have different ways to contact you, so you need to give them multiple access to your brand.

Make thriving social media pages since most customers will most likely be there. Have a dedicated hotline where customers can air their queries and complaints. Be ready to quickly answer emails and text messages. Put a chat app on your website so customers can interact with you while browsing on your site.

There are other places to be visible that might fit your brand correctly. Search for online communities or even try to create one.

Give Incentives

If you have a lot of loyal customers, then you might need to think more about giving them incentives to keep being loyal. We touched upon this subject a while back, but I feel like we really need to go in depth about this considering how important this is to creating an exceptional customer service experience. So here are some tips for great incentive ideas.

1. Discounts: This is the best way to reward loyal buyers. Try a cumulative discount for those who buy big or a good loyalty card plan. Nothing makes a consumer feel more special than getting something cheaper compared to others.

2. Give something for free: You know something better than discounts? Free items! Look for non or slow moving stocks from your store and think about giving it for free to loyal customers who buy a lot.

3. Invite customers to product trials or focus groups: Make your customer feel like they are part of your brand’s growth by inviting them to various events like product trials. Make them feel that their opinion matters and how highly you value them. Don’t forget to give them a small token of your appreciation on their way out!

Create Contests

Always strive to make your customers feel the fun! Spice up your brand’s image by making contests for your customers from time to time. Keep a few things in mind though like make the prize a little worthwhile and always tie that prize with your brand. I mean don’t use an iPhone as a prize if your brand deals with sporting goods.

Contests are fun, interactive, and can gain you new customers, while making the old ones feel appreciated.

Create Communities

Brands love it if they can create a cult-like following. I mean have you seen how people camp out of Apple stores every time a new phone comes out? Or how about those Harley motorcycle riders who have festivals and fun runs? Brands like those do well because they have incredibly passionate customers.

These phenomenon started by customers building communities. Nowadays, brands can speed this process up by creating online communities where like-minded customers can find each other. They will share tips and secrets as well as their experiences.

Once it gets bigger, you can start organizing location-based events for your customers. However, you must be involved in all of this. Have someone moderate the boards from your side who can personally interact with the community.

If you want a great example of a thriving brand community, check out the Playstation Gamer Community.

Be personal

Negative reviews won’t seem as bad if customers see a brand is humanized and is trying his/her best to give the best service possible. So always try to be personal in your responses rather than sounding like a robot or a bored customer service representative. If you have the staff to do that for you, train them on how to respond appropriately to queries and how to take care of negative feedback.

Not as Simple as Service With a Smile

Today’s customers are as demanding as ever. Creating a well thought out customer service plan can help build you an excellent reputation for your business. Keep in mind that a lot of customers rely on previous reviews when assessing your brand. But do a lot of things right, and your brand will be glowing with amazing reviews in no time!