Thursday 4th of June 2015
Buying a product is not an easy feat in the cluttered marketplace where brands are vying for cust
...omer’s attention with myriad techniques. Mos...
Buying a product is not an easy feat in the cluttered marketplace where brands are vying for customer’s attention with myriad techniques. Most customers are spoilt for choice, with so many brands, price variants and models filling the shelves of physical stores. Thus, they rely on the choices made by others to pick the right product. Whether buying from a brick-and-mortar store or an e-commerce site, customers check the reviews and ratings before making a purchase decision. It helps them feel satisfied and confident about their orders.
Besides customer reviews, buyers also seek reassurance from social media. They refer to social proof to understand the collective opinion about the brand and its products. Using this information gives them a psychological assurance that the product endorsed and recommended by most people and influential individuals will offer value for money. Thus, businesses need this user-generated content to persuade customers. Here is how they can encourage customer reviews and social proof to increase sales. These tips can help acquire and retain customers effectively.
Customers should be given ample platform options for writing reviews instead of just the company website. Since Google, Facebook and Yelp have the highest number of users, creating profiles on these sites is vital to encourage customers to post reviews. Customers must be encouraged to post ratings on the company's Facebook page and create user-generated content on Instagram. Since most customers spend time on these sites, the chances of influencing them increase immensely.
Thus, budding entrepreneurs looking for a business for sale in New Zealand must motivate customers to post reviews and ratings. These must be shared on social media and the company website to get more views and help generate leads and conversions. Surveys have found that most buying decisions are influenced by reviews. Thus, garnering these opinions is a must for brands.
Loyal customers are valuable assets for the business, who help bring referrals and repeat orders. Their loyalty can be leveraged through brand advocacy, which involves spreading positive reviews about the brand and its products. These buyers can be asked to record video testimonials and social media posts with brand hashtags to create brand visibility. Besides customers, employees must also be encouraged to post positively about the brand on different channels.
In addition, businesses should not hesitate to ask first-time buyers to post customer reviews. They must ask every buyer to showcase their satisfaction through any platform of their choice. It is easier to ask for reviews right after the purchase, as the customer is willing to provide an opinion that can help others.
If the customer has to follow a tedious process to write a review, they may not be interested in it or leave it midway. Thus, entrepreneurs who wish to buy a business for sale in New Zealand must include call-to-action links in follow-up emails. They can also create QR codes to reach the review forms instantly and submit feedback. You can send links in SMS that take them directly to review platforms.
The direct links for reviews can be shared on social media profiles and the website to encourage social proof. The review form should not be too long or require too much personal information. Keep it short and simple with just the name and star rating to be given along with the review. It can be further simplified by asking them to choose between good, average, excellent and poor experience by choosing the right option. Customers may find it fun to offer such reviews.
Customers feel valued when their comments and feedback are taken seriously by the business. This keeps them motivated to continue to provide suggestions and write positive reviews after a good experience. Thus, entrepreneurs must create a team to respond to the comments on review sites, social media and the website. Responding to negative comments promptly and offering solutions for the problem is also necessary.
Since the review sites and social media channels are public platforms, others can view the business's response. When they witness the brand making efforts to satisfy every customer, it increases the business's goodwill in their eyes. They start viewing it as a responsible entity committed to meeting the customers' needs.
It is not easy to get satisfied customers to write reviews for the brand. Conversely, negative reviews can be generated at the slightest error in delivery or project management. Therefore, it becomes necessary to inspire customers to record their reviews by tempting them with incentives like gifts, discounts, and free samples. Businesses can also ask customers to write reviews before they are distributed through physical stores by offering free samples.
Many entrepreneurs who purchase New Zealand businesses for sale offer loyalty points to existing customers to increase their lifetime value and improve long-term relations. Customers must be informed about these incentives through customised marketing messages to generate reviews and social proof.
One of the best ways to get customers to talk positively about the brand is to offer outstanding service. Customers should feel delighted during each interaction with the business, whether it is online or offline. The support team must be trained to offer friendly, proactive, and empathetic service to all buyers. They must patiently hear the suggestions or problems and get them rectified at the earliest.
The business's mobile app can send push notifications to provide customer reviews after a satisfying conversation. The support team can ask for the reviews directly while interacting with the buyers. The website must have a landing page dedicated to testimonials with a simple template that can be customised by the buyers.
Social media influencers have become quite popular among the masses, and their followers listen to their views and opinions. Thus, if you bought a business for sale in New Zealand, you can partner with influencers in your industry or niche to create sponsored product reviews that do not appear as paid ads. When customers witness celebrities and experts endorsing a product, they become inspired to review it.
Many YouTubers will take up the opportunity to try the product and provide an honest opinion. Thus, the business can earn from the paid promotion and the flow of reviews that follow the content. When experts validate the products, sales automatically start growing.
Wrapping Up
Most customers refer to reviews and social proof before buying to follow the popular opinion. They do not want to lose money on products that do not prove valuable. Thus, businesses must focus on getting more reviews through the tips mentioned above.
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