In today’s digital world, customer reviews are crucial if you wish to attract new customers. Knowing that people share their experiences online, your potential customers will always check first what others have to say about you before making a purchase. There are two common places where you can find reviews about businesses – their own website and third-party review sites. As companies are mostly focused on the information their target audience can find on their website, they tend to forget that these same people will also look for reviews on third-party sites.
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Sometimes, your potential customers will not even visit your website. They will probably just compare deals between you and your competitors and find the one that suits them best. So, ignoring the importance of these third-party review sites is something that can seriously harm your business. If you visit these websites, you will notice there is not a lot of information which your prospects and customers might find useful e.g. working hours, list of related products, contact details, etc. You should take control of these sites the same way you’ve taken control of your website if you want to see better results.
We bring you steps you need to follow to have a good online reputation, but first, let’s take a look at why are these reviews sites inevitable for your business.
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Importance of third-party review sites
Of course, there is a reason why third-party review sites are so popular with customers, like the Hostinger review. When compared to your website, they are more realistic and sincere. You have to be aware that the majority of your target audience might think you’re editing reviews that are published on your company website or even deleting the ones that don’t talk about your business the way you want. With third-party review sites, your target audience believes they will get trustworthy information about your products and your business.
Moreover, these sites provide information about your competitors as well. So, if your reviews are not very encouraging for your prospects or there is no crucial information about your business, they can just move on to the next company. To prevent this from happening, you will have to focus more on the third-party sites that mention your name. Start by providing information you know your prospects will be looking for and show them their reviews are truly important to your business, regardless of the place where they are shared.
These sites are your social proof of how much you actually care about your prospects and customers. To manage your reputation on third-party review sites, you will need to craft a strategy for it. Following are the steps you need to incorporate in your strategy if you wish it to be successful.
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#1 Register your business.
When deciding where you should register, choose those third-party reviews sites that already have reviews about your business. They will be your primary review sites. If you don’t have any reviews yet because you’ve just started your business, that’s completely fine! Choose the ones that seem relevant to your business and your industry. If there are a lot of reviews of your competitors, it means your target audience visits this site. Of course, you can register your business in countless places, but be aware it will be hard to be present on more review sites so you won’t be able to be equally efficient on all of them. That’s why you should choose one or two sites where you will constantly engage your customers. When registering, ensure you have your logo, several business photographs, important links, contact information and the description of your business ready to use. These elements will help you convert prospects into customers as they build authenticity and trust.
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#2 Focus on online engagement.
As you probably have a busy schedule, make sure to find a time when you will go over the reviews. You should have at least 15 minutes every week to check new reviews. This implies thanking those customers who have left positive reviews with a personal note and provide solutions to negative reviews. A lot of review sites allow their users to update or change their rating of a business which means you should definitely use the chance to turn the negative review into a positive one. Apologize to your customer and show him and others you will do your best to solve the issue. Many companies fear to interact with customers who have left negative reviews but that’s your opportunity to regain a lost customer and show the potential ones how much you actually care.
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#3 Encourage customers to leave a review.
Don’t just wait for new reviews, ask your customers to leave a review after every purchase. You can even mention the names of these third-party review sites where you’re most active to interact further with your customers. This strategy where you direct happy customers to leave positive feedback on certain sites will increase your score as you will have a lot more positive reviews than negative ones. This leads to a strong, professional profile where your potential customers feel encouraged to make a purchase. Moreover, you can promote your profile on these sites in your email signature, business cards, website, brochures, newsletters, etc.
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Conclusion
You should never ignore third-party review sites because they have an enormous potential to bring you new customers who are well-informed about your and your competitors’ product but have still chosen you. This type of customers, who are confident in their choice, will become your loyal, long-term customers if you ensure to provide them with all the information they need at the beginning of their customer journey.
