Customer reviews are a great way to avoid blowing your own trumpet all the time to promote your small business. Letting others sing your praises is probably as close as we ever get to selling our products and services on reputation alone!
Thanks to the internet, it is a lot easier these days to spread the word about your happy clients and use customer reviews to attract new business. Between Google, sites like TrustPilot and the built in review section on Facebook, you can collect feedback here, there and everywhere!
Let customer reviews speak for you
It’s that simple: Earn the trust of your target group by letting others boast about your skills and talents. Who’s better suited for that than your small business’s happy customers and clients?
As employees we use references to back us up, so why not do the same with your small business? There are several ways to use customer reviews to market your small business, so you can pick and choose what suits you and your company.
Have a routine
If you want to harness customer or client satisfaction, it’s better to have a workflow in place. Establish a system where customers are automatically asked for feedback after your work is done or your product has been delivered.
Make it easy for them to get back to you and always ask if it’s ok to use their feedback for your marketing. Especially, if you want to use their name or photo.
Grow your company even more and find out how to get repeat business from your existing customers.
Ready to get started? Here are 6 of my favourite tactics to make the best of your positive feedback.
1. Customer reviews
Reviews are supposed to be objective and impartial but, thanks to the internet, we know this isn’t always the case. To use your customer reviews to attract new business, you have to choose a reputable and reliable platform for it.
Depending on your preference, you can choose between online or print reviews. Most importantly, pick a forum that is used by your target group and is easily accessible.
Keep in mind that any hurdles in signing up or a high minimum word count will make it harder for you to collect a decent amount of feedback. Help them get started by sending them a few points they could cover in their review, for example.
Remember, positive reviews on social media can help grow your following. Check out my post on turning those followers into paying customers!
2. Testimonials
Unlike reviews, testimonials are personal statements from your clients or customers about you, your products/services or your customer service. You can use them on your own website, in newsletters and advertising and they’re often preferred by small businesses because they’re personal and individual.
LinkedIn has a great way of getting testimonials from clients and co-workers or, if you work B2C (business to consumer), simply email customers and ask for a statement for your records. Again, you can easily send them a draft so they don’t have to start from scratch.
3. Case studies
If you usually work on larger projects, consider using case studies to do the complexity and scope of your work justice. This way you can describe your clients’ goals, the steps you took to achieve them and the results. (If you need an example, check out the case studies of my own consultancy work.)
Case studies are a great way to describe your approach or procedure and give you ample room to explain the benefits of working with you to potential clients. Round them up with a little testimonial from your client and a sample of your work, if possible.
4. Interviews
If you’d rather be in charge of customer reviews or testimonials, consider interviewing them. A few quick questions by email or even a little survey will find out their thoughts and ways you can improve your service.
These interviews can also be used for PR. For example in an advertorial where you give your small business a platform by letting your customer tell the readers everything about you.
5. Backlinks
It can be beneficial for your business (and your SEO) to exchange links with your clients and customers. For example having their logo on your website and vice versa, linking to your respective websites. Another way to collaborate is to advertise in each others’ newsletters or blogs.
It’s a win-win situation: They can let their customers know how they improved their booking process with your help, for example, and you can spread the word about how easily their staff found the new system you installed for them.
Overwhelmed by the very mention of SEO? Check out my post on how to get started with it for your business!
6. Referrals
Happy customers and clients are, of course, the ideal source for referrals and recommendations. Whenever you talk to a satisfied customer, ask them to spread the word and refer people they know who could benefit from working with you.
Offer them a discount for every successful recommendation or something similar, as long as you always thank them for their loyalty. One thing still works better than online reviews and that’s word-of-mouth.
Response
Of course, letting clients speak for your small business through customer reviews always comes with risks. Negative reviews on TripAdvisor, angry customers on Facebook and disgruntled employees on Yelp – it can go wrong.
But keep in mind that nobody’s perfect. I’d actually be a bit suspicious if a company only had stellar ratings without the odd complaint among it. Plus, there’s always a way to respond to negative feedback and show potential new clients that you care.
Struggling to respond to a negative review? Here are my top tips.
WANT TO READ MORE?
To read more about this topic, have a look at these:
Small Business Growth: 7 Ways to Ask the Right Questions
How to Grow Your Small Business & Keep on Track
How to Get Repeat Business From Existing Customers
7 Ways to Keep in Touch with Your Existing Customers
