If you own or operate a B2C organization in today’s consumer-driven economy, you’ve probably already recognized the overwhelming growth of customer reviews and recommendations. It’s no secret that word-of-mouth marketing is how consumers have been making purchase decisions for decades, and now in today’s digital world, this incredibly lucrative channel has morphed into something else entirely – the online review. Simply put, B2C brands that know how to take advantage of online reviews and proactively manage
Here are a few key factors to keep in mind when managing your brand’s online reviews
Frequency – Modern consumers are a discerning audience, and they know what to look for in online reviews. It’s not enough to just have a few scattered reviews here and there – online reviews must come in on a regular, frequent basis. As any brand owner or manager knows, many consumers aren’t just going to leave reviews themselves. This is why it’s good to have an outbound strategy in place to proactively ask customers to leave reviews. Sending these requests by text message can increase response rates by up to 30%.
Recency – If you have a great online review that you’ve been highlighting for a while, good for you! Just know that this one review isn’t enough to dine out on forever. Most consumers who are looking at online reviews (which, to be clear, is a majority of consumers) disregard reviews that are older than 90 days. In order to keep up with the demand, your team must be constantly bringing in new reviews to supplement consumer needs.
Quality – The consumer brand marketplace is full of tough competition, and online reviews and ratings are one of the ways consumers can break through this ‘noise’ and find companies to do business with. 87% of modern consumers won’t even consider a business with low online ratings, which means the quality of a brand’s online reviews is critical. Delivering exceptional customer experiences, providing amazing customer support, and engaging with consumers in clear and engaging ways can all help boost the quality of your online reviews. Just think – a 1-star increase in your online ratings can increase your revenue by up to 9%!
Quantity – When it comes to online reviews, the more the merrier! There is no such thing as too many reviews, especially if you are operating in a highly competitive industry. Typically, brands should strive to have at least 50 online reviews, but the real sweet spot is around 150 or so. And don’t worry if you receive one or two negative reviews in there, either. As long as your team responds to these negative reviews in a timely, level-headed manner, you could be able to turn these negative reviews into positive outcomes.
Want to learn more? The team of experts at Kenect can help your team put the right tools in place to proactively manage your online reviews and hit the online review sweet spot. You can learn more here.
