Posted by Aspidistra Blogger • Uncategorised • February 15th, 2017
It’s no secret that human beings are herd-animals. We much prefer to follow and stay safe, than to go rogue and risk making a poor decision.
Most people of a certain age will remember IBM’s ad slogan – “nobody ever got sacked for buying IBM”? Marketers knew it then, and they know it now – staying safe pays off – and with the rise of social media, companies can now rely on the power of third party endorsement, reviews, to prove they are a safe option.
From TripAdvisor to TrustPilot the age of the review sale is here. Nothing is exempt from reviewing. Google now allows 5-star reviews of all listings, and Facebook has a review option for business pages.
How to make the most of the review when it comes to B2B ecommerce?
According to top ecommerce blogger, Chloe Thomas, “reviews are hugely powerful marketing materials—they’re a form of social proof, and social proof is all about trust.”
Our own anecdotal research has also shown that when it comes to buying B2C product, people prefer to purchase EXACTLY THE SAME product from online giant, Amazon, than directly from the manufacturer, even when the product bought directly from the manufacturer was less expensive.
Further questions of the customers in question discovered that they would rather buy from Amazon because the customer reviews of both product and service were transparent.
Reviews and testimonials – the difference
Reviews
These are comments that customers leave about your business on a review website or search engine. Most sites insist that a customer sets up their own account with username and password. Reviews are posted openly. It can be difficult to address a negative review because these are third party sites.
Testimonials
Most testimonials are received in response to a request of a customer. It’s a comment that a customer writes or vlogs, that is provided to you so that you have the option of posting it on your own site.
How to build more reviews
Don’t forget the testimonials
Testimonials can look more contrived than general feedback, but the structure of them means they can go to greater depth to describe your products.
Be strategic with your requested feedback
It’s a real back-slap to get positive reviews, and they should certainly be shared around your team. But when you’re looking for business improvement, get more strategic with the feedback you request:
Chloe Thomas’s article is an extensive and interesting piece so we suggest you have a look at it. And whilst doing so, remember the power of our recommendation that sent you there….. https://insights.ecommerceexpo.co.uk/customer-reviews/?cid=Homepage_Article_1&cid=ema-newsletter-Newsletter%2023.01.17-Why%20customer%20reviews%20are%20the%20secret%20sauce%20of%20marketing-