Updated Feb, 2024:
The current age of massive digital transformation has made one point obvious and that is the need to adapt to change. Since technology is continuously advancing with AI and Automation being the new kids on the block, we now understand that it is imperative to be creative and innovative to grow. To get the attention of our target audiences, we must align the right marketing activities in our marketing plans which can sometimes be challenging.
An advantageous way to accomplish continual business growth is to adapt to marketing trends. At one time, many people considered social media to be a trend and they did not want to adapt, and now social media drives many business conversations across various industries, both B2B and B2B companies.
Being slow to adapt, can sometimes mean being a lot further behind your competition than you would like admit. If we focus on the needs and wants of our target audience and adopt the 3 steps of the marketing concept, customer orientation, coordinated markets activities and business performance it makes total sense that a focus on getting more reviews moves us from a business focus to a customer focus.
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88% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase.
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66% of consumers make a purchase after reading a positive customer review
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84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
As it turns out, many businesses do not foster customer loyalty as a revenue driving initiative, which is a missed opportunity. Referrals can be an excellent revenue stream for any business. In order for us to best leverage cost effective digital marketing activities and dominate the competitive landscape simultaneously, focusing on reviews is the way to go.
As a small business owner, search engine optimization SEO should be at the top of your marketing agenda. If your marketing budget does not include spending thousands of dollars on paid advertising, a smart idea would be to focus on reviews. Reviews help SEO. Google uses reviews as a factor to rank in search results.
As we evaluate which marketing strategies will drive the highest percentage of revenues year over year, it’s always a good idea to reference previous customers as a driving force for business growth. Making business decisions from positive customer experiences leads to higher profits and a competitive advantage. To take this a step further in addition to the SEO benefit, improving business services, based on feedback from customers can offer positive results.
We trust our family, friends and neighbors, and reviews can have the same level of consideration. In addition to the 5 star accolades and the pride of good service, the larger advantage of positive online reviews is the favorable impact on your SEO.
When it comes to local SEO, getting your customers to leave positive reviews for your business on Google is very important. As the number of online reviews increase so does your search engine ranking.
Considering the competitive landscape of the current marketplace, it is crucial to exceed customers’ expectations during each business transactions, going above and beyond is good business. Having an open line of communication with your clients/customers will make them more willing to support your business.
Your business can take control of your online reputation, by asking your clients/customers to post reviews about their experience. It might be a good idea to incentivize their behavior by offering gift cards or movie tickets. This is not always a requirement, but a recommendation if you experience resistance in obtaining reviews.
Failing to effectively engage your clients/customers/ target audience is not a good position to be in. There is always an alternative to your service waiting to pick up your slack. A good way to gauge your service level is to evaluate the retention rate and referral business percentages. This is a hard exercise for many, since knowing the truth can be painful. Evaluate if your customers come back and if they refer you new business and do not be afraid to ask why.
The fastest way to grow an existing customer base is effectively retaining current customers by adding value. According to Bain and Co., a 5% increase in customer retention can increase a company’s profitability by 75%.
Don’t miss the opportunity to grow your business by putting your customers first and keeping them happy.
How To Get More Reviews
- Implement an automated process for requesting reviews. Consider Signpost.
- Assign a team member to reputation monitoring.
- Consider text or email request to simplify the task.
How to Manage Reviews
- Install a website widget to display reviews on your website.
- Request and respond to Google reviews.
- Evaluate often and make changes as needed
Top SEO Advantages
- Get found locally
- Get to the top of search engine results
- Increase website conversions
Since it cost five times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, focusing on your customer retention rate percentages is crucial. Remember that whether you are new entrepreneur or a veteran business owner, there is always room for improvement. By taking a proactive approach to your business with a 360-degree view you are able to explore new ways to grow your business.
By having effective methods in place to persuade your target audience to post reviews you can drive more business by marketing your reviews and grow your business.
Before you get started, you need to:
- Analyze all customer touch points
- Compare year over year retention rates
- Implement a customer loyalty program
- Share success stories with customers
- Request reviews from past and current customers
- Set up review monitoring to quickly respond to online reviews
- Implement a process to quickly resolve negative reviews
It is important not to underestimate the influence a review can have on a potential customer. Since happy customers are less likely than angry customers to post a review you have to control the conversation, by building your reviews with happy experiences.
A great way to automate the process is to add a testimonial widget on your website, allowing you to control the feedback that is highlighted on your testimonials page and social media outlets. This is a smart and powerful marketing resource that can have an immediate impact on your bottom line by increasing sales through trust.
Contact Marketing 4 Real Results to learn more.
