Photo by Markus Winkler
In our series funnels hands-on, we will explain a couple of the tricks in marketing funnels. Today I want to teach you about getting those positive reviews without cheating.
Almost two-thirds of shoppers think that online reviews are an essential part of the decision-making process. Good or bad reviews have a direct impact on your sales.
If a customer is not completely satisfied with your product or service, you want them to tell you first to improve and come up with a solution to the problem.
One of the most searched terms is product name + review or brand name + review. Most of the time, a review platform will be on top of the search results.
You might feel that you are not in control of those review sites and that you can only be reactive. But there is a way to take back control.
There are many sites and services with user-generated reviews. Do not try to manage them all but select one or two options that work well for you.
As a rule of thumb, the best platforms you can use are the platforms that already shop when you search for your brand name + review.
Some examples of review websites are:
A free way to get reviews and show them directly within the search results. Google is the best option for brands that rely heavily on SEO/SEA. These reviews will not appear in search results, but when users search your business name or try to find you on Google Maps.
Are most of your online leads coming from social media channels? Consider selecting the Facebook recommendations platform. Your reviews are shown along with your profile, and you can even have a full tab dedicated to it.
If you are a hospitality service, Tripadvisor is the right choice. Their platform is the go-to platform for travelers that are searching for hotels, restaurants, and things to do.
Yelp is one of the biggest local business reviews sites out there, but its popularity is different in different countries. Is most of your potential customers are local, Yelp is a good option for you.
Trustpilot is not a review platform for exploring, but more to show customers who already found you that you are doing a good job, and they can trust you. Trustpilot has a very sophisticated review manager, but that comes with a price.
The first step in getting 5-star reviews is to get in control of the process. If your company is already listed, claim it. You will get the possibility to answer reviews on behalf of your company and tools to manage reviews and notifications. Some of these platforms cost money, but they are well worth it.
Find your most loyal and happy customers, friends, and family and ask them to write something on the platform. Reach out to followers on Social to generate even more initial reviews. Most of them will be happy to write something about their experience with your product or service. Please do not ask them all at once because you want to have those reviews nicely spread out over multiple days.
It is essential to connect your sales with your email flow; many of the email marketing platforms have good connections with APIs.
Create a funnel that every customer gets an email within their aftersales touchpoint. Focus on what the customer bought and add value. We have good experiences sending out manuals or tips for the product the customer purchased.
Also, please mention that you want to know how happy they are with your service and click on one of the stars in the email.
Now comes the trick;
A person who had a bad experience with you will feel that you are trying to improve and are less inclined to write a bad review about you elsewhere.
You will get bad reviews! The internet feels anonymous, and venting to a computer can sometimes help. The best way to cope with these reviews is to answer them publicly.
Whatever you do, do not go into any discussion, other potential customers need to see that you will solve a problem whenever they arise.
At Auditeers, we can help you set up this review funnel, Let's talk!
Google, being the biggest web browser company, recently made an announcement about their new plan to replace cookies as a response to the privacy-first worldwide advocacy. They finally opened up to the public the use of a new mechanism that will provide user-privacy yet will still deliver the same effectiveness just like cookies in terms of ad targeting.
Individual ad targeting has become the standard for online advertising, which heavily relied on web cookies. However, the effectiveness of web cookies had faced obstacles with more customers demanding information privacy. Over the years, online users have been deleting the web cookies, limiting their use, and even employing ad blockers.
Over the years, cookies have become an essential element of the internet. Even have become the most used method in identifying the users online, providing a personalized browsing experience.