Reviews can be one of the most vital tools for getting more business, and more repeat business, from customers. In fact, according to a 2013 study by BrightLocal, 79 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. It’s no wonder that many businesses are hungry for lots of positive reviews!
Your reviews, whether positive or negative, reveal a lot about your business. It tells consumers so much about you that most people, 85 percent, according to BrightLocal, read online reviews to determine whether a local business is a good business. As a local business owner, it’s imperative that you learn how to gather reviews and use them to your advantage.
But how do you get reviews from people? Do you wait around until people do it on their own, or do you go out and ask for reviews? The answer is actually a little bit of both.
Gathering On Social Media
Social media is the perfect place to reach out to your consumers. Heck, it was made for exactly that reason, to connect with others! So, it’s no surprise that it’s a great place to get reviews. Facebook is the best place to get reviews, thanks to its Review section. On Facebook, customers can leave reviews with a rating of 1-5 stars, along with a short typed-out review, and then those reviews will show up on your Review Tabs. An average of all of your reviews shows up at the top of your Page and is the first thing visitors will see when they come to your page. You want that review to be awesome!
Other places, like Twitter and Instagram, don’t have a dedicated place for leaving a review, but they are still useful for getting testimonials from followers who tweet or comment with a great review of your business!
Watching and Waiting
The old-fashioned approach (well, as old-fashioned as you can get in the digital era) is to wait for customers to leave a review when they feel compelled to do so. This is a very big waiting game that could potentially never pan out. But, the advantage of getting reviews this way is that you know these will be your most loyal customers. People who take time out of their day to leave a review on your website, or on your FGmarket profile page, are true customers who are loyal to your brand. They want to tell everyone they know about you, with no incentive.
Make It Easy
If you have an FGmarket vendor profile page, then you know how easy it is to leave a review. But do your customers? First, you’ll need to direct them toward your FGmarket profile page. Once there, tell them to click on the Testimonials Tab, which is located next to the Contact Tab at the top of the profile page. Your customers can then leave a star review, from 1 to 5, their first and last name, an email address, a mailing address, a review title, and a quick testimonial. It’s fast and simple, and it works!