You can use online reviews to fill up your Yelp, Google and Facebook profile and get the good rating customers look for, but that isn’t where the benefits end. In fact, it’s where they begin.
When you get creative, you can use online reviews to enhance your business image both on and offline, and in both direct and indirect marketing capacities. Below are four methods you can use to mine reviews for business-building and upward growth.
1. Look for SEO Keywords Your Customers Use
Search engine optimization is necessary for small businesses competing locally, and a great SEO strategy is built on keyword research. What keywords are your customers using to describe your company and your services? These are probably the same keywords prospective customers are using to search for what you offer.
2. Create Graphics for Your Social Media Pages
Is there a particularly poignant positive online review you simply love? Take your hardcore fans and make them famous. Use their quote as the text for a creative social media graphic and share it across all your social channels.
This is helpful because even if the review was on Google, your fans on Instagram will see that a loyal customer loves what you do. It’s an effective way to make a cross-platform push to generate a buzz around your brand.
3. Borrow Content for Website
As long as the customers consent, you can use their reviews as testimonials on your website. If your prospects wind up on your page due to a referral or a paid ad, they’ll immediately see what others have to say, and it’ll be positive! This is a powerful way to draw website visitors in and garner trust from the first interaction.
4. Inform a Winning Business Strategy
Finally, mine your reviews, both positive and negative, for ideas on business strategy. For instance, your happy customers are going to tell you exactly what you do that solves their problem. Maybe you’ll decide to make this the focus of your business going forward, especially if you see trends.
For the naysayers, while you may not agree with their negativity, maybe they’re highlighting some areas you could work on improving for your customers. Either way, it’s possible to use online reviews as a learning tool.
Accrue Reviews Can Help
You don’t just want quantity, you want quality. Accrue Reviews can help with both when it comes to online reviews. In order to use online reviews to your benefit, it’s important to generate them in the first place. Using our software, you can reach out to your customers right after your interaction and get their feedback. If they’re happy, the world will know. If they’re not, you get a chance to make it right beforehand.