The Importance of Customer Reviews

In this episode of BrandKramp™, Aileen Casey discusses the importance of customer reviews for small businesses. She highlights that nearly 95% of consumers read online reviews before doing business with a company. Reviews can drive business, improve the business, and boost SEO. Aileen advises small business owners to address both positive and negative reviews promptly and professionally. She distinguishes between reviews and testimonials and provides strategies for getting reviews, such as asking in person, sending emails, or using automated processes. Aileen emphasizes that reviews are good for business and can help establish a loyal customer base.

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Transcript

Aileen Casey (00:03.131)

As a small business owner, marketing can feel overwhelming and time consuming. However, there are some simple and effective strategies that you can implement to help grow your business. In this podcast, I cover the importance of customer reviews, why you need them, how to get them, and why you shouldn't fear them. Are you ready? Here we go.

I was doing some research the other day and found a statistic that stated nearly 95 % of consumers will read an online review before they'll do business with you. While that statistic made perfect sense to me because I read and rely on reviews, what struck me was that nearly all of my clients, with the exception of one, fear the review. In spirit, they know they should ask for them, but they never do because they're afraid of what they might learn. Kind of like the fear we all had in showing our parents our report card when we were a kid.

The number one reason you should ask for review is if they are good, they will absolutely drive business your way. As I've mentioned in previous podcasts, approximately 80 % of consumers will check your business out online before they consider visiting it. 95 % of those customers will look at your reviews before they decide to buy from you. So, if your competition has reviews and you don't, avoid the cramp and get on the review bandwagon. Although sometimes painful, reviews also provide valuable.

and can help you improve your business and address any issues that you might be having immediately. It's like having your finger on the pulse of your business. And if you have a bad review, don't ignore it, address it immediately. If you don't know how to respond, basically thank the reviewer for their feedback. Yep, you're gonna thank them and let them know you'll research the issue and address it. Keep it to the point and unemotional. It's really that simple. By responding, you're showing the world that you care about your customers.

and you'll earn their trust and loyalty. And one very important note, never ever, ever, ever get into arguments with any customer, especially online. On the flip side, good reviews always brighten your day, because running a business isn't always unicorns and rainbows. And finally, as we all know, customer reviews will boost your SEO, which is always a good thing for your business. Okay, so how do you get reviews? First, let's distinguish between reviews and testimonials.

Aileen Casey (02:20.398)

Testimonials are more formal and typically focus on the result of a client's interaction with you. Like for example, Karen was so knowledgeable and helped me save $200 when buying my widget. A review is more informal and provides a general overview of the client's experience and there are generally stars involved. For example, great place to bring your kids, five stars. Reviews are also more accessible because the biggest review platform is Google.

Assuming your Google business profile is claimed, simply ask for a Google review. If you don't want to ask in person, send an email to clients you recently worked with and provide a link to your Google profile and then ask for a review. If you're too chicken for that, you can ask for reviews at the bottom of an invoice with a sign in your store or before you get off the phone. Something like, hey, if you found this consultation valuable, would you consider leaving me a review?

If you wanna get fancy, you can create an automated process for reviews with most email marketing and client management platforms. You can set parameters that trigger the review request, like when someone purchases something or pays their bill, those are perfect opportunities to ask for a review. The client that I mentioned earlier uses a service that is into reviews, uses a service by an online advertising agency called WeblightMedia .com, shout out, where we send them a file of clients.

renewed in the month and they take care of everything from asking for the review to managing and responding to our online reviews. One thing to note though, if you have this type of service, it's still important that you look at your reviews on a regular basis, just so you can keep on top of the chatter. So don't be afraid of reviews. They are good for your business, and they can help your business. They can also help establish a loyal customer base and secure repeat business. And hey, if you have a minute and found this podcast valuable,

Would you consider leaving me a review on BrandKramp.com? Until next time, Aileen.