Solution Guru@ Simplify360 - 10 mins read.
As 2020 comes to an end (FINALLY!) businesses have been looking at what they learned from the past year, and It’s safe to say online review management was on top of the list. Customers have had no choice but to rely on online reviews, across platforms like Google Play Store, iTunes, Google My Business, Facebook Recommendations, Yelp, Amazon, and more. Businesses that had integrated online review management were at an advantage this year.
What is Online Review Management?
Online Review Management is the process of tracking customer reviews across review sites and responding to them. With an omnichannel platform like (Simplify360), you can manage all your reviews in one place, which is far more efficient than managing platforms in silos.
Review Management is a key component of a business’ marketing strategy. It’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to listen and know how to respond to reviews. Think about your own experience – buying a product from a new business or trying a new restaurant. You ask everyone you know their experience or search online for reviews.
Before review platforms existed, people were still talking about businesses but it was restricted to a close circle of people, but now with the rise of digital mediums, businesses need to be more cautious about negative reviews.
But at the same time, you have the opportunity to listen to what’s being said about you and act on countermeasures to mitigate the situation.
How often do you check the Amazon reviews before purchasing a product?
Studies indicate that about 97% of customers check product reviews online before purchasing.
Just having the option to review a product provides a sense of accountability of businesses to consumers. It resonates well with customers since they get a platform to express their views on the product.
While online purchases had already gained traction compared to in-store purchases, before this year but 2020 has sealed the deal! Obviously, there is nothing like experiencing a product in-person, but in the absence of that choice, everyone has had to rely on online reviews.
Brands like Sephora and Nykaa are ideal examples of how review management works successfully. They have a diverse range of brands and products, making it imperative to ask customers to leave a review, especially since a large portion of their sales are online.
It’s imperative for businesses, especially digital-first brands, to invest in online review management.
Why is Online Review Management important for your brand?
Review Management is an integral feature most businesses should have for the coming decade. It impacts brand image, which in turn directly affects sales. It gives your business the opportunity to identify and analyse its flaws. These reviews help you drive your brand messaging and marketing strategy.
The internet has made reviews very accessible, particularly with the rapid increase of mobile apps and the readily available ratings in search results. It is easier than ever for a customer to search your brand and decide where to take their business within minutes.
Reviews are not just relevant for customers but also for your business. It is a major source for feedback on what is working and what needs tweaking. With this information, you can highlight all the aspects of your business that customers love in your marketing.
According to studies, 91% of 18-34 year olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Do you trust product reviews on retail websites?
(Bizrate Insight 2019 Consumer Shopper Survey: Customer Reviews)
What are the most important types of online reviews?
Location Reviews
Reviews aren’t only relevant or limited to products but restaurants, stores, local services, and much more.
Think about when you are looking for a toy store nearby and you type in “Toy stores near me” in your search bar, you find a few listings and go through the reviews before you choose one.
It’s a type of location review.
By enabling location-based reviews you can increase your local SEO. Location-based reviews will help understand customer sentiment by region and specific branch locations.
App Reviews
Encourage customers to leave app reviews on App Store and Play Store, 87% of customers say they will download apps with a 5-star rating. Potential customers are more influenced by unbiased reviews than a great app description.
Learn about App review management
E-Commerce Reviews
On sites like Amazon, eBay, and other e-commerce sites customer reviews are crucial, they help verify your product and service, furthermore, they persuade potential customers to make the purchase.
Learn about Ecommerce review management
Why brands should respond to customer reviews?
It is the same reason as to why you respond to social media messages or conversions on other messaging platforms.
It builds trust!
Don’t worry about the tone of your customer’s review, ALWAYS respond!
Customers feel ignored if they receive no response and start to question the brand’s significance. Prompt responses are essential for your brand to form connections with customers and to demonstrate that you care.
Think about your own experience as a consumer, when you see that a business has responded to a customer’s review, whether positive or negative, it shows that they care and value their customers.
And don’t be worried about negative reviews! Take it as an opportunity to turn around that customer’s experience!
Create a response guidebook for frequent reviews that your team can use, identify the common topics of reviews pertaining to your business and industry. For example, streaming services would receive reviews not only on their subscription plans but customer service, UI, quality of service, the content, accessibility, etc. Keep the guidebook handy!
What is the First-Step to Online Review Management?
Identify the platform on which you have the strongest presence. Or if you are new to review management Google is an amazing place to start.
Google is the most widely used search engine across the globe, which shows customers a knowledge graph with information about your business including ratings and reviews in the results when they search for you.
Targeting one platform at a time will allow you to optimize and do the best you can, instead of taking on all the platforms at once.
(Bizrate Insight)
Today, there is a review site for almost every business. Even without a review site – word gets out courtesy of blogs, Youtube reviews, social media, and much more. Trip Advisor, Google, Zomato and Yelp are a few of the larger review platforms that your business can manage with Simplify360!
If you are looking to start actively managing your brand’s reputation, having a solid review management strategy is a vital first step. But where to start?
With Google My Business, you have the opportunity to manage online reviews of your business whether it is in a single location or multiple locations.
You might look out for brand mentions and feedback on social media, but it is important to draw a distinction between reviews and ratings on Facebook and buzz about a brand on Twitter.
Conclusion: Take away point on Review Management
Review management is the key! During these uncertain times, you can take one thing for granted – review management IS going to help your business grow!
To put it simply here’s why you should invest in Review management:
- Online reviews build trust and drive your sales
- Reviews benefit SEO
- Taking Feedback seriously can help you increase customer satisfaction
Simplify360 is an Omnichannel platform that allows businesses to manage and respond to all their Social Media, Messaging Channels, Review sites, and more.
Our review management module can help you monitor, manage, and respond to reviews from all sources in one place. We also provide automated response management for reviews that integrate our AI assistant, ReviewAssist™.