Stand Out in the Crowd Using the Review System Strategy

One of the most effective forms of marketing online, product or service reviews create a sense of trust and confidence in the potential customer. It is human nature to purchase a particular product when there is testimony to the success or efficacy of the product documented by other people. Scott Gallagher, an authority on online local marketing, mentions reviews as one of his top ways to implement internet marketing for small businesses.

Using this strategy to your advantage as a small business owner is key when implementing a small business marketing solution. You have loyal customers, and getting them to voice their positive experience with your company is a powerful tool in your online marketing arsenal.

Here are some ways that you can solicit positive feedback from your customers that can later be translated to reviews online:

Put out a feedback box – Placing a box asking customers for their opinions on what you’re doing right not only shows the customer that you care about customer satisfaction, but provides a way for you to obtain honest reviews that can be shared online.
Contact Form – Nothing is more powerful than getting direct feedback from your customers, and providing a contact form on your website soliciting feedback gives customers a way to do just that. With this strategy, you need look no further than your inbox for positive reviews to create a review page for your website.
Comments – Allowing comments on your site will encourage open dialogue from your customers. Customers feel empowered when they are given a public platform to express their opinions.

Once you have positive reviews, you can then ask the customer if you can use their feedback for a review of your business. Most will happily agree, knowing that you care about their opinion and want to use it to share with others.

When creating a review style page for your website, it must be genuine and not overhyped. Potential customers will detect any trace of false statements or exaggerations. Equally important is to include any negative feedback you might have received. The key here is to include the review in its entirety. If the review is overall a positive one, but the customer has mentioned one thing that could be improved upon, make sure that you include this in the review. This honesty creates further credibility in the eyes of the customer and gives him or her an idea of what to expect. Sounding too good to be true often backfires when the business cannot live up to the unrealistic expectations of the customer that might be established by a hyped up over exaggerated review.

Many people begin their buying cycle by performing research online. First they determine which product or service would solve their issue, who is selling this product or service, and lastly who offers the best value and service to their customers. The business review strategy is a key component in setting your business apart from the rest of the crowd. It is helpful to do a search yourself and see what your competition might be doing. If a negative theme comes up consistently when researching a competitor, use this to your advantage by publishing your customers’ reviews that address the issue in a positive light.

By publishing customer reviews on the web, you’re establishing a reputation in the industry for your business. When being searched for online, you want your business’s name to be the one that consistently shows up as the gold standard for service and quality in your industry. A customer review takes little time to publish, and will return large dividends in the long run. Scott Gallagher agrees and you could be missing out on a many new potential customers.

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