Member Article

Small businesses can maximise Black Friday profits with online customer reviews

Over 14 million Brits have been saving for months to take advantage of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals due to be unveiled next weekend from the 24th – 27th November. Retail experts are predicting record sales in excess of £4.5bn, as thrifty shoppers seek out bargains galore online.

For smaller, independent businesses, it’s tough competing with larger high street brands and their big marketing budgets. They need clear differentiators to secure the sale. Whether a business is purely online, on the local high street, or trading through a combination of the two, online reviews are a powerful and efficient way to build trust and reputation and an essential sales and marketing strategy tactic.

One independent retailer, The Wood Flooring Shop in South West London, have been using online customer reviews very successfully for the past year. Good customer reviews have become an essential part of their business strategy and the independent endorsements made by existing customers have given new customers greater confidence to buy, leading to a 70% increase in new customer conversion rates.

5 key features to look for from an online reviews provider There are a range of online review platforms already available, with a wide range of entry prices and features. To ensure your business can maximise the potential returns as quickly as possible, look for the following features:

• ‘On The Spot’ Review Collection – for instance using an app, which can be installed on multiple devices. This allows business owners and employees to collectively gather reviews when ‘face to face’ with customers. It is always far easier to request reviews from customers directly, than rely on them to post comments after a transaction.

• Social Media Posting – to ensure reviews can automatically be posted across multiple social networks. This helps business owners boost social signals and promote reviews to existing followers on major social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Google+.

• Website Widgets – gives business owners the option to filter and display their most recent customer reviews to increase customer conversion rates. Evidence has shown that this feature will significantly increase sales conversions as new customers feel reassured by a business with good reviews and a clear track record of customer service.

• Review Collector Email System – designed for businesses that don’t deal with customers face to face. Following a transaction or relevant customer interaction, the business owner can trigger an email requesting a review. This feature should also allow business owners to track and monitor whether their customers have reviewed and prompt those that have yet to respond with a polite reminder.

• Cases – to investigate negative reviews and either expose unflattering comments as fakes or resolve genuine customer complaints. An essential feature to look out for, it eliminates the impact of internet trolls or fake reviews, which can be placed by competitors to deliberately damage reputation. For example, a cases system would ensure a negative review is removed for a period of time, i.e. 30 days, whilst the issue is independently investigated. By addressing genuine problems openly, business owners can demonstrate transparency and good customer service, which rebuilds trust and avoids further reputational damage. If a negative review is proved true and the situation remains unresolved, the review can go live again.

Even the smallest business owners can clearly differentiate their offerings and build a strong reputation with a minimal marketing budget by gathering reviews and collecting customer feedback. Whatever your business sector, whether you have a website or simply trade through social media, user generated content in the form of online reviews are invaluable for businesses looking to get the most from their Black Friday promotions.

www.eooro.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Gavin Mullins .