Do you read product reviews before you purchase something new? Do you trust customer ratings better than the sales pitch of a seller?
From deciding which smartphone to buy to where to eat and finding a new doctor, at least 93% of people read through reviews before making a decision. The majority of them are interested in knowing what previous customers and clients have to say before making a purchase or booking an appointment.
How Impactful are Customer Reviews?
Customer reviews had become the layperson’s gauge for the trustworthiness of a product, service, or company. According to a Spiegel Medill research, products with reviews are 270% more likely to be bought than unreviewed ones. For more costly items, this probability increases to up to 380%. This simply shows how important and impactful customer reviews are.
Positive reviews can feel like a warm hug that validates the work that you do, but it does way more than that. It can establish your business’ credibility and trustworthiness to the general public. This can directly increase your market and translate to sales. It’s a waste of a free resource if you don’t use customer review in your sales plan.
How can you maximize the power of a review in your everyday marketing? Through what strategy can you use it in boosting your sales?
Let us give you some ideas.
Include them on all the pages of your website
Customer reviews should be on your website’s landing page. This is where you can create conversions and build a customer base. Since the landing page is dedicated for readers to make a transaction, seeing reviews and testimonials on this page can influence their actions.
Beyond the landing page, it will also benefit you to include at least one review or testimonial on each of the pages of your website. This way, no matter what page your readers are on, they are subtly assured of your good reputation with consumers just like them.
Share them on social media
It’s no secret how most of us rely on social media for information. Globally, at least 4 billion of us are on this platform. That’s a massive reach! This then becomes the perfect venue to share your customer reviews.
Reviews on social media are from random people. Your readers perceive them as unbiased. Most people take it as a personal recommendation rather than as a sales pitch. They are more likely to be persuaded by it.
Posting exceptional reviews and those from influencers and celebrities can boost not only your confidence but that of your potential consumers, too. Make use of your social media reach to highlight what others have to say about you.
Include it in your emails
Digital marketers can attest that until now, email marketing is still the most profitable tool out there. It can generate $44 for every $1 spent, so it only makes sense to use it in your marketing strategy.
Including customer reviews in your emails will increase your credibility off-site. Reviews in emails can give recipients an idea of the benefits they can get should they transact business with you. They would want to know more about you, and would thereby generate higher conversion rates.
Incorporate them in your marketing collateral
On a non-digital platform, collaterals continue to be an effective marketing tool. Include snippets and shots of customer reviews on your posters, brochures, and flyers. You may even consider including it in your business card.
This can speak right to potential customers who are already within your vicinity. It increases the chance of an immediate direct response. If not immediately, since you’re targeting customers directly, they can quickly come back and finalize doing business with you.
Highlight it in your advertisements
Research shows that user-generated promotional materials get four times more click-through rates. The reviews you receive are already free user-generated content that the public intuitively trusts. Make the most of it by making it prominent in your video advertisements. Not only is this less costly, but it is also perceived as reliable by many.
Ensure that your business provides spaces for customer reviews, such as in your social media accounts and other reputable crowd-sourced review sites. Once you receive their feedback, you can now use them for purposes that best serve your market.
If you need help with digital marketing, we’re here to help. Book a free 30-minute consultation call with us and we’ll work together in create a marketing strategy that will get people through the door.
