Whom are you more likely to believe? A company blowing its own trumpet, or a recommendation by a satisfied customer?
That is why, no matter what product or service you are selling, it is a good idea to have customer reviews or comments prominently displayed on your website.
Put word-of-mouth marketing into your website
Word-of-mouth marketing is so powerful because it is very believable and largely perceived to be unbiased. And a customer review is just another form of word of mouth, just like one friend speaking to another.
Most of your customers will be happy to give you feedback to reward good service if you ask - just don’t forget to get their permission in writing before attributing their names to a quote on your website. What’s more, if you can get a picture of the client to go with their recommendation, that will make the comment that much more credible still.
Internet shoppers turn to online reviews for buying advice
The average Internet shopper today is familiar with the idea of seeking out other customers’ opinions on a company’s products or services, and more and more people are basing their buying decisions on these very same reviews. In fact, it could very well be that people who find online reviews of your competitors, but not of your company, might assume that you are either new on the market or simply not very popular.
Of course, people already have several ways - such as blogs and forums - to comment on your business online, and the news of a good or bad service can spread faster than ever with today’s technologies.
So why not take things a step further and give your customers some space on your own website where they can upload a review using a personalized username and password that you give them? This kind of customer review will hold much more sway with skeptical visitors who might suspect that any reviews you put up yourself have been handpicked or manipulated.
A few negative reviews can be positive too
Don’t be afraid of getting the odd negative review if you give your customers a voice. One or two negative reviews in a flood of positive ones will only serve to emphasize that the reviews are genuine. In fact, readers are more likely to see the reviewers as difficult customers than your company as bad in such a case. Moreover, you can also respond to such reviews to clarify your position.
If, on the other hand, you’re getting a lot of negative reviews, then you seriously need to take stock of your business.
Another approach, if you have a catalogue of products, is to let customers review them on your website, much like you will probably be familiar with from companies like www.amazon.com. This will turn your website into a resource of information for other potential customers and at the same time allow you to easily find out why some products might be poor sellers so you are better able to choose better alternatives.
So maybe it’s time you let your customers do some of the talking for you and enjoyed the benefits that go with this marketing strategy.
