Third-party review platforms, as the name suggests are handled by third parties/brands. So, it becomes all the more important for you as a brand/business to have your own workflow for review management.
The omnipresence of social networks and review sites helps consumers make informed buying decisions. Users who search for “brand reviews” via Google have access to a wealth of data that will impact their decision.
Websites that host consumer reviews on a variety of subjects are in the business of review management themselves. Mouth Shut, Trust Pilot, Just Dial, Yelp, and more are review aggregators who make money from a business that pays a fee to manage what their customers talking about the brand. For example, you can see how online stores like Amazon, e-bay, and others display customer reviews for products from different brands. It plays an important role in a customer’s buying decision.
Instead of assigning review management to the customer service team and forgetting it, feedback/reviews should be viewed as a means of achieving better conversion.
About 95% of the potential online shoppers read reviews, making it one of the most important factors that impact conversion rates. Marketers in particular must be proactive in review management workflow.
Set up a review management process.
If you need people to write reviews about your brand, you need to understand why someone would spare a moment to share their feedback on a product or service they used.
The majority of reviews are sparked by positive or negative experiences. If the company does not resolve issues, these consumers will seek out a place to voice their grievances.
Many times, customers need a gentle nudge to leave a review. You could try requesting a review.
One advantage of managing your own review workflow is that when you check for “brand name review” in search, you can check the most popular platforms in which your customers are talking about your brand and focus your efforts on those platforms.
Manage Ratings and Reviews on your website
It’s crucial not to rely too much on third-party review sites to convert customers. Reviews are a signal that you can use to raise your conversion rate on your site, and there are various review formats which you can use:
- Consumer Testimonials
- Case studies
- Product & Service reviews
- 3rd Party reviews & ratings
How to respond to negative reviews
Regardless of how well you treat your ratings, a few bad ones will make it into the public domain. But don’t worry; what matters the most is how you react and handle them.
Responding to the review gives the impression that you engage with your clients.
You must not only thank them for their positive reviews, but also respond to the negative reviews in an appropriate manner.
How to respond to a negative review?
- Never be argumentative.
- Address the root cause of the problem and try to take it from there. Listen to what your customers are saying.
- Remember to always respond, and if need be to apologize.
- Offer to set things right.
- Be thankful.
- Always respond in time.
Conclusion
Reviews play a major part in customers’ decision-making process. Regardless of the other strategies you plan, don’t ever ignore reviews.
