If you’re a business owner that is looking to build awareness of your company, there may be no better way to do this than through testimonials. A recent study shows that displaying reviews of a business on their site can increase conversion rates by 270%. This means that having a positive presence online can do wonders for your business in terms of performance as well as perception. Here are some tips on how to incorporate reviews into a marketing plan, as well as what to do if you ever receive negative feedback.
As more and more companies look to add reviews to their sites, many providers have multiple ways to utilize these reviews in ways that increase their presence. For example, a review can be added to a blog post that highlights a specific product or service. Adding feedback to these can indicate to the customer that the company has experience in being successful in certain areas. Feedback can also be added directly to the homepage via a plugin that displays it directly to a web page. This can provide instant credibility when a potential customer first clicks on a website.
Having a dedicated webpage on your site that’s only for reviews can also be useful. These pages can be similar to a case study or a testimonial page and can allow for customers to directly leave ratings or reviews. A page like this can mean that a business will have to work to maintain high ratings, to prevent the possibility of seeing multiple lesser reviews.
Many of the benefits that come from having reviews on a business’ web page are obvious, such as the potential for increased traffic as customers note positive feedback on work the company has done, as well as showing credibility with your services. There are other advantages from these reviews as well. To start, they can provide a direct line between you and your customers. You have the ability to reinforce positive reviews with thanks, and quickly remedy any negative feedback.
From a business perspective, sales can be impacted as well. While having a high average rating will obviously drive up sales, even businesses with a lower rating can improve their performance depending on how they respond. A recent study indicated that a business that improves its Yelp rating even by one star can see a short-term boost in sales from 5-9%, meaning that displaying you are putting in the effort to change a potentially lower reputation can lead to better success down the line.
When considering the role of reviews for your business, it is important to note that not only will you be handling positive feedback, you will also have to consider negative responses. By knowing how to handle and display each type of response, you can have a major impact on the credibility of your company, and that can lead to higher sales and visibility.