Recent developments in digital marketing include strategies to build your business through word-of-mouth marketing by leveraging customer reviews and testimonials. This is referred to as “viral” or “ratchet effect” marketing because it rewards those who spread good information about you, which then further boosts your reputation.
By adding value to the world, you inspire more people to do the same. You get rewarded by spending less effort on advertising and getting the same results!
A strong referral base is an invaluable asset to any company. When someone else has success using your products and services, this creates a mutually beneficial buzz.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can use customer reviews and testimonials to promote your business. In this article, we will discuss some easy ways to add review and testimony materials to your online store.
Sample customer reviews and testimonials
Recent developments in marketing include strategies to directly appeal to your audience’s senses, but what about when you want to talk about something more than your product or service? What if you wanted to tell your readers how good you are as a company so they might feel the same way?
That’s where talking about others comes into play. It is referred to as word-of-mouth marketing or sales promotion via references that your competitors don’t know about. This is particularly effective in generating buzz since people love talking about success stories and failures, respectively.
It also helps create credibility for your business because it shows that you have direct contact with other individuals who have an opinion of you. 94% of consumers look at products before buying them from a source that they trust.
So why not use those sources to promote yours? Here are some ways to do this without being too promotional.
Ways to get customer reviews and testimonials
It’s great to offer your customers solid products, but it’s even better when they spread positive comments about you. When their experiences outweigh the negative ones, that creates an environment where people are willing to interact with your business by buying what you sell and providing feedback.
By adding these types of advertisements into your marketing strategy, you’ll be helping promote your company and product while generating valuable insights.
There are several ways to ask your current customers if they would kindly write up a review or give you a testimonial. You can do this via social media, email, phone, or in person!
It is very common to hear stories of how small businesses transformed into bigger companies due to online reviews. People who have been through similar situations will often share their expertise so others can learn from their mistakes and success.
Your potential clients and customers may feel more inclined to leave a review if they enjoy using your services. By asking about their experience, you can tap into their candid thoughts and opinions.
Create a website
A well-optimized website is an integral part of any successful business venture. Your site will be the face that users see when they search for your products or services online, so you want to make it look good!
Your web presence includes the name of the company, the types of products and services you offer, contact information, and the most important thing – a clear call to action (CTA).
The CTA can be to buy, learn more about your product, speak with a consultant, etc., but usually something like “contact us” or “learn how to use our tool effectively” is best because it gives the reader a sense of urgency to do something.
It also helps the reader know if their options are final as the CTAs often include a deadline or even times when there is nothing available. This creates a sense of desperation which may motivate people to act.
Offering a reward
As mentioned earlier, offering a reward is one of the most effective ways to gain reviews for your business! What kind of rewards you can offer will vary depending on what type of business you are trying to get reviews from and how large an audience they have.
For example, if your service offers free cleaning, you could ask potential customers to leave a review about their experience with your business. Make sure to add ‘review’ in the title or else it may seem like a promotion for another company.
Alternatively, you could ask them to write a short article or do some research online for your product or service.
Offering a product trial
A lot of business owners make the mistake of not offering a trial period for their new products or services. This is very common when you are investing in a service that you hope people will use, but they do not get the chance to try it out until you purchase it!
By offering a trial period, you allow your customers to explore the benefits of the service before buying it. By doing this, you increase customer loyalty as well as potential purchases.
Some examples of trial services include:
Newly released apps
Services such as Netflix allow users to test out one month of free access. This gives them time to check out the features and see if there are any that appeal to them.
Probationary periods can also be used by employers to see how workers perform their jobs during a few days or weeks.
Ask your customers for reviews and testimonials
As mentioned before, reviewing your service or product is an easy way to gain exposure for your business. But how do you ask about review opportunities?
Most companies have a form or questionnaire that asks if there are any comments or complaints and if they wanted to be contacted for such a comment or complaint. By asking directly and honestly, you allow your audience to share their experiences!
Some brands make it difficult to write down negative feedback so it may not come across as true and honest. Make sure yours doesn’t look fake by having any ulterior motives.
By adding this element to your marketing strategy, you increase your chances of getting positive reviews.
Encourage reviews and testimonials
As mentioned earlier, you will want to encourage your potential customers to review you online. But what if they don’t? You can’t make them!
You need to realize that most people are not going to leave a review unless asked or encouraged to do so. This is why it is important to have a solid marketing strategy for asking for reviews.
You could send out an email message asking about their experience with your business and offering a discount in return for a review. Or you could just ask “What kind of things did this company do well that made you come back?”
This way you are more open-ended which helps someone who doesn’t feel like writing a full-length review to say ‘Well I read about X thing in the news and how great Y company was, so I thought I would give them a try.’
Interchangeably, you could also ask ‘what didn’t work about our service?’ By getting some feedback, even if it’s only a sentence or two, you can fix any issues and improve upon past performance.
Respond to reviews and testimonials
Recent developments in marketing include using customer feedback to promote your business. These days, instead of sending out direct mail or advertising materials, you can gather information about your competition, read their reviews, and respond with an introduction letter or statement along with your review or testimonial.
This is called word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing. By adding value through responses to other people’s conversations, you increase your chances of getting repeat business.
Does it also raise your game by bringing up important questions like how well did these others do? What could I learn from them? How might this work for me?
You get back what you give – so make sure you are looking after yourself by offering quality replies that connect and inspire. This will create positive chatter which will amplify your message and help you reach more potential customers.