Trying to build more trust with potential customers? Online reviews and testimonials can play a major part in decision making of your customers or clients.

Do reviews and testimonials actually effect buying decision?

We live in a world where your online reputation can be your strongest asset.

Here’s the major statistics:

1. 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.
2. Online reviews have been shown to impact 67.7% of purchasing decisions.
3. 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.

You can read more statistics here

Think about your own buying behaviour. How many times have you stopped to read reviews before either making a purchase online or choosing to contact a service?

How do I get reviews or testimonials?

To get feedback, you have to ask, or at least give people the ability to do so. Consumers are very time poor, so leaving any kind of feedback might not be at the top of their list, but you can take some steps to help.

1. Have a place for reviews or testimonials – Add a variety of options for people to respond. Do you have a product review option on your website? Are you asking people via an auto generated email, or emailing them directly?
2. Ask for reviews and testimonials – I know it can be daunting, especially if your still new to it, but sometimes just sending an email and asking for feedback can be the simplest way to get feedback. Make it easy by including a link to where you would like them to leave a review (Facebook, Google reviews etc.).
   If you are a service based business, you could generate interest by asking how they are finding your product or service. If you get positive feedback, you can ask someone in person if they might consider leaving a review.
3. Rewards help – Sometimes offering an incentive can help. Do you have a rewards program, or a small value giveaway that you could offer? This isn’t to say pay for reviews, as you want people to leave authentic feedback.
4. Use Social – Sometime throwing questions out to your followers generates a response. You could ask ‘why they purchased the product / used the service” and ‘how was the experience with the product or service’
5. Share other reviews – Sharing other positive reviews can can generate more reviews. Social proof is a powerful marketing tactic — it means that, if customers see other people like them sharing reviews, they’re more likely to do the same by following the crowd.

There are many ways to get reviews, but the most important thing to do is ask!

Need help with asking the right questions for your testimonial? Read my next blog here!

Paula Wodzynska

Resources:

https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/

https://moz.com/blog/new-data-reveals-67-of-consumers-are-influenced-by-online-reviews