A new form of digital marketing named “Social Proof” is quite in trend nowadays, which points towards an increased focus on real customer testimonials and reviews. It has been found that people trust more on the opinions of others when it comes to buying decision, and therefore, websites, especially e-commerce websites nowadays are giving it a lot of importance in order to deliver an authentic experience to their customers. The reviews, ratings and testimonials not only tell people that you are selling legit products/services, but people are actually satisfied with what you are selling.
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The main idea behind this new form of marketing is that the choices made by others influence us a lot, and that is what makes us to think at least once about certain things and give them a try. For example, if you notice many people looking at the sky, you are more likely to do the same or if you see many people buying a particular flavor of ice cream, you would also like to try it once. Applying it to the digital marketing world, when you notice that a particular product has received a lot of positive reviews and that people are happy with that, you won’t give a second thinking to it and are most likely to buy it immediately.
So, how can you make customers to give your products/services ratings and reviews. Well, to help you out, we have outlined the following 5 tips that will let you get real product reviews and customer testimonials:
- Just Ask: The straightforward way to get real customer reviews is to “just ask”. When your customers shop on your website and the products/services are delivered to them, ask them to review the product/service. Your customers understand how important good reviews are for your business, and they won’t deny you if you ask for a review. The next time a customer compliments you via phone, email, or in person, ask them to leave the same feedback in an online review on Yelp, Trustpilot, or any review site that may help your business grow.
If you feel it difficult to convince customers for leaving a review, you can even lure them by giving shopping points in exchange of writing a detailed review. This works especially in case of E-commerce websites.
- E-mail Follow-Ups: At the point of purchase, ask customers to leave their email addresses and consider sending an email to them every time they make a new purchase. There are many tools available online that automate this process such as Kudobuzz or Yotpo. They allow you to create custom follow-up emails based on certain parameters such as language and demographics of each store. Amazon’s automated system sends these reminders multiple times after the customer has purchased a product to get reviews. Put direct links to review profiles on your newsletter or email follow-up to make the process as straightforward as possible for the customers.
You can also enable the customers to directly share the products on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ by adding social sharing widgets on your newsletters.
- Offer Incentives: Sometimes, it seems quite tricky to make customers leave a review for you. Face the reality, unless they have a very bad experience with your products/services, there are less chances of them leaving a review. However, offering them some extra incentives can make them to take out some time from their busy schedule and write a review. Don’t gather fake reviews by luring them with hefty items, ask them to write a genuine review in return of small incentives such as 10% cashback the next time they make a purchase.
There are several ways by which you can offer incentives to encourage your reviewers. For example, local search directories also allow you to share coupons and discounts on their sites.
- A Simple Thank You Note can Go a Long Way: By saying a warm thank you to your customer, everytime they leave a feedback, you are reinforcing your relationship with them. A personalized thank you note can go a long way in making your customers feel that you care for them. This will make them leave a feedback whenever they shop. There are certain sites as well where you can pay people for reviews, but never go for it if you don’t want to get screwed. These fake reviews not only make you lose your valuable customers, but directly affect the reputation of the company.
- Run Photo Caption Contests: Captioning photos on social media sites is an easy way to get real customer testimonials. In this contest, you post an image or a photo, and ask your Fans to caption it. Such kind of contests can be extremely powerful in gaining authentic customer testimonials as they increase customer engagement, and spread positive expressions about your products. It is very easy to enter Photo Caption Contests. Your customers just need a little motivation to comment on your product and that can be done by posting an appealing photo.
To get the best testimonials for your photo, offer a good prize for entering. Well, you need not to give away an iPhone for this. Even a small merchandise would work like a T-shirt, cap or goggles.
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The Bottom Line
In the current scenario, if you want to stand out in the market, you need to amp up your digital marketing efforts. And, one of the most effective ways to do this is getting genuine feedback from the genuine customers. In order to skyrocket your marketing, don’t forget to use the power of social proof. Real customer reviews, ratings and testimonials can actually be a greater marketing tool than any other advertising option.
