Where, as when: the 3 key points to remember to work on a review strategy. And all seasoned with simplicity
We left the previous article with the future intention of taking action. And we at ReputationUp stand by our word.
For anyone interested in how to have more positive reviews, we recommend reading the previous article before continuing on this:
“Positive reviews for a strong web reputation. Part 1: Entering the customer’s mind”.
Making a brief summary we saw:
- how customers think about a product and what motivate them to review it;
- the strength of negative reviews in comparison with a positive one;
- to be able to accept the loss of customers and never win any of them;
- fake/purchase/ad hoc reviews seem to help, but in reality it is the exact opposite.
And along the article we have included 3 rules to remember to build a review strategy.
Now we know the theory that moves the world of online reviews. All that’s left is to get your hands on the computer and get started.
Index
Why the user should leave a feedback
What is your business about? Do you own a bar? Do you sell T-shirts online? Do you have a real estate agency? The answer is: it doesn’t matter!
The average type of customer varies from activity to activity. But once you have your smartphone in your hand it will be the same.
He won’t write because it’s not the right time, he doesn’t use that particular portal, he doesn’t know what to write, or simply “why not”.
The task of the activity is to make the process as simple as possible for consumers.
it’s all a matter of barriers to be broken down
Where: one place is not worth the other
As in the offline world, what users certainly don’t like to do is changing their habits.
For example, user A is a big fan of Facebook. In fact, he spends most of his time online on this platform to keep himself informed, search for news and contact people.
This user A then decides to buy a product/service from your company, becoming a customer. Once purchased, customer A decides he wants to review his purchase as the best of the year.
But there is no dedicated space on the Facebook page. The only place in fact would be to post the review on Google. And although it seems surreal, this will stop the user from continuing.
This speaks clearly on the first point to be adopted to receive more reviews: be horizontal.
Relying on different spots for the reviews avoids these biases related to habit.
Here are several portals to rely on.
1. Google
Through Google My Business you can claim your activity and bring it into the Google world.
Among the many advantages there is the creation of a space dedicated to reviews, which will appear in the research page of your business.
In this way, each user can easily insert new reviews, both in words and with simple stars.
And it will also be able to verify the number of reviews and the total average score of these.
2.Facebook
With 2.3 billion active monthly users, Facebook remains a cornerstone of the review strategy.
As with Big G, once you claim your business, you will have access to a number of benefits for consumers.
So, create the “reviews” section and let the words flow.
Activating the Messages tool, managed by a person or a bot, will then bring another advantage.
Through a bot it will be possible to create an option such as “write your review here” for the user to send to the page.
TIP – In the case of manual management of Messenger, we recommend that you be quick to respond. Facebook calculates the average question-answer time and shares it on the page concerned. The shorter that time, the more likely the customer will be to write –
3.Amazon
As far as retail is concerned, it is becoming more and more a necessity to enter the Amazon universe.
And here the reviews are important.
There are no Amazon users who decide to buy a new product without first consulting the number of yellow stars.
Be therefore ready to welcome opinions also from this important channel.
4.Dedicated portals: Yelp, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, Opinioni.it…
There are many portals born with the sole purpose of being a great container for opinions of satisfied or unhappy users.
And to be present on these is good because:
- if a customer decides to visit the page of that product / service, it does so only with the purpose of reviewing;
- these sites often pay private users to create reviews of products/services they use. Consumers will therefore be more encouraged to take advantage of the service;
- it gives us an advantage over competitors who do not use it, as many product/service searches start from these portals (e.g. TripAdvisor for catering).
5.Site itself
And finally the base house, where you are the only owner. There are several ways that you can take in this case:
- create a page dedicated to reviews, accessible to users;
- not have a dedicated page and insert spaces/cases where you can write or just insert if stars;
- adopt plug-ins from Facebook, Amazon, Google… able both to show reviews on various portals and to send users back where they prefer to write.
When: at the right time or never again
That’s how it works, either the customer is at the right time to devote time to the seller, or the client will not get anything from him.
And with When we refer to the time when you ask the user to leave a feedback.
In fact, it is more than legitimate to ask for reviews (which email arrives after a purchase on Amazon?), but you must be able to balance at what time.
Fast… but not too fast
You can’t expect to ask for feedback 5 minutes after buying a mobile phone or a day after subscribing to a magazine.
It takes time for the user to get an idea of what’s in their hands.
And in this case, as in Part 1, you have to put yourself in the shoes of the customer and imagine the time it takes to be know well what you bought.
So, you will be able to know how far to contact the customer: neither before, nor after. And even in this case, you will have to break down as many barriers as possible:
- if you are looking for reviews on Facebook, use Messenger;
- for other portals, create special links in the email that make the process as fast as possible.
You can also engage offline strategies:
- insert quick reminders inside the product box, both bought in store and shipped;
- in the case of physical store, create an easy and modern feedback point, such as a tablet or intuitive buttons (stars, inches, green and red …).
How: it’s always Christmas
Positive feedback is a gift that a user decides to give to the seller. And who would ever want to give something to someone who shows no interest?
Being active and human
Being on the front line to respond to any feedback, question or even complaint helps. The user will see that the time spent was useful and was appreciated.
And above all act as a human being and not as a machine. Nobody wants to read a wall of 20 answers all identical to each other. In fact, it would indicate little interest in users.
For any interaction with customers, always aim for maximum customization.
The standard may be faster in the short term, but as with fake reviews, it is counterproductive in the long run.
Creating a dialogue
Parallel to the strategy of asking for a review, but with different effects.
The task here is to establish a dialogue between the seller and the consumer.
And whether it’s by email, chat or smoke signals it doesn’t matter. What matters is to interact.
Here are some possible examples:
- how was the shopping experience and if you would be happy to repeat it;
- if the product likes and at what level;
- would you recommend it to others.
By following this path you can get more information than just a review. And, you will find out if the customer is really satisfied.
Because not knowing it, you might go to send feedback requests even to unhappy customers. Maybe not one of the best ideas.
And everything must be seasoned with extreme simplicity:
- create an already outlined path (e.g. boxes to be selected, inches, short sentences to be inserted);
- ask targeted questions and not stay vague (e.g. “what do you think about the product” is too general and the user will be discouraged from answering).
Putting your hand to the wallet
As announced in the article Part 1, a good strategy is that of incentives. For example:
We offer you a coffee and you offer us a review, deal?
In return for giving something to the user, perceived to be more valuable than the time spent on the review, the chances of receiving feedback will rise sharply.
It’s an investment, as you’ll have an initial expense to bear. But over time, those reviews will bring customers who wouldn’t have come without them.
Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS)
Although this motto was born in the 1960s in the U.S. Navy, it still applies to many situations today. And online reviews is definitely one of them.
As I said at the beginning, it’s all about barriers to break down.
The better you are able to find these barriers between purchasing the product/service and reviewing, the higher your chances of receiving them will be.
Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes remains the most valuable piece of advice on this journey: try and believe.
Buy a product and experience the mental process of reviewing. Are there any obvious barriers? Is the place to review badly structured? The message of request is uninviting.
Learning directly in the field helps you understand which is the best way to go for your business. And always be simple.
