Whether people want to go out for dinner, spend the weekend hiking, blow off some steam bungee jumping, or want a new lipstick supplier for their beauty store, reviews will tell them where to look and whether those places are worth their time and money. Internet reviews run the world!
You may think that’s a little too trusting for a space like the internet (that’s infamous for exaggerating and telling half-truths). Well, here’s how online review seekers think: if people who’ve already been there say it was good, it is good. If they say it was bad, it is bad.
Since the business space can be very unforgiving, we’re here to educate you on online reviews, what the different star rating reviews mean and how to steer clear of less appealing reviews. Let’s get to it.
Customer Review Statistics You Should Know About
According to Psychology Science, consumers are more likely to purchase a product with more reviews. World-acclaimed business intelligence magazine the Harvard Business Review found that for every one star improvement that a business gets on Yelp, they see an increase of about 5-9% in revenue.
Furthermore, a product with five reviews has a 270% percent higher likelihood of being purchased than a product with no reviews. Reviews have a greater influence on the purchase likelihood for high-end items than for lower-priced products. When reviews for a lower-priced item were displayed, the conversion rate went up by 190%. In contrast, the conversion rate for high-end products shot up by 380%.
The Making of an Online Review
These stats prove that we’re living in an economy of trust. Reviews are how you know how much a customer or client trusts you. However, it takes two to tango in the reviews world just like it does with trust — this couldn’t be truer in the B2B space than anywhere else.
This begs the question, what does it mean when you get the dreaded 1-star rating as opposed to the satisfactory 3 or the coveted 5? Here’s a breakdown.
The 1-5 star rating is actually a math calculation and is categorized into three sections namely:
- Positive Reviews
- Neutral Reviews
- Negative Reviews
Positive Reviews
These are ratings that fall between 4.0 and 5.0 stars. This means the reviewer got the best bang for their buck. It’s a public pat on the back for exceptional value or splendid service, indicating that an aspect or aspects of the product or service outperformed others of its kind.
Neutral Reviews
A rating between 3.0 but lower than 4.0 is a neutral review (3.0 – 3.9 stars). It’s a way of saying, “I got what I expected.” If the product or service was above average or an aspect, for example, pricing, or previously perceived value exceeded the expectations, then the reviewer would give it a healthy 4.
Negative Reviews
This comes at the bottom of the trio and denotes scores less than 3 stars, that is between 1.0 and 2.9 stars. In other words, getting a star rating between 1.0 and 2.9 means you fell beyond the customer’s expectation and they are dissatisfied with your service.
Your Response to Customer Feedback Is Robbing You of a 5-Star Review
B2B businesses are not short of ways or platforms to receive feedback from their customers. They are short of something else — how to successfully navigate responses to negative business reviews. Here are some of the responses that keep you away from getting good reviews.
1. Poor Timing of Feedback
Response to feedback must be done on time. Lateness is often the genesis of negative business reviews. It is a pointless exercise to respond to a review a week after the customer’s interaction with you.
If the customer came to your store, why not ask for their opinion before they leave? The ideal time for an online sale may very well be within 24 hours of the customer receiving goods. Respond to positive and negative feedback hours after purchase, not days and certainly not weeks.
2. The Wrong Customer Service Rep
You may have the wrong customer service rep — short on empathy, impatient and overly emotional about criticism — or they may be having a bad day. Either is a bad bet for responding to a not-so-nice review.
It’s easy to get caught up in proving a point and forget that the point was to fix the problem and draw them to your good side. It is therefore ideal to hire the best person to monitor and respond to negative reviews in order to mitigate them.
Social media, like all other types of online reputation management, is a mash-up of public relations, marketing, advertising, and data analysis. There are correct and incorrect ways to respond to negative reviews. Ensure that your methods ensure all possible scenarios.
3. Being Satisfied With Average Performance
Average performance will get you an average review-3 star. The problem with average performance is that competition in the B2B space is cutthroat and B2B clients are less tolerant of average service. If you want a 5-star review, don’t ignore the 1-star review. Find out what went wrong and fix it.
How to Get More Business Reviews
You must meet the standard of getting a review or you won’t be getting any or at least good ones. Customers require about 40 reviews before they think you’re worth a 3-star rating. Check out these tips on how to get more Google business reviews.
1. Just ? Ask ? for a ? Review ?
This is probably the easiest route to take when you want to get reviews for your business. A satisfied customer is typically happy to reward you for a good experience with a positive review. Ask them gently and even use the word favor to eliminate the impression that you’re being pushy.
2. Rely on The Law of Reciprocity
Give them a convincing reason to write a review. How? Be nice to them and they will return the favor. For example, Starloop plants trees for every online review received by one of its clients. It’s a grand gesture for their prospects who care about the environment.
More and more people are aligning themselves to brands that care about what they care about.
3. Express Gratitude
A little gratitude could go a long way if you’re wondering how to increase Google business reviews. An article by the Harvard Business Review showed that response rates in a cold email study spiked when the senders were thankful in advance.
4. Automate With Review Software
Review software works like magic where timeliness is concerned. You can request a review immediately with review software and get a response at a time when customers are most likely to give you one.
Typically, the request comes with a clickable link and call to action. The software will send them to Google search where they can leave a review in moments. It also works quickly if you’re short on time and have been fishing for ways on how to get more online reviews for your business.
How to Remove Negative or Fake Google Business Reviews
In a perfect world, no one is spiteful enough to troll brands online by way of writing fake reviews or unnecessary negative reviews. Unfortunately, the world is broken and close to 75% of consumers have fallen prey to fake online reviews and negative reviews have convinced 94% of prospective buyers to avoid a business.
It’s tough and we’re not denying that even looking for fruitful ways on how to remove a bad review on Google my business can be frustrating. What’s worse, disagreeing with a review does not mean that the review violates Google policies — and there is no delete key for these reviews. Luckily, you can get creative on how to remove fake Google business reviews.
For example, you can respond to it and hopefully, the reviewer will remove it on their own. If you feel the review promotes your competitors or is inappropriate, you can flag it to have Google remove it.
Other than that, respond kindly, avoiding getting defensive, and try to communicate with the reviewer privately on email or direct messaging. You can also go ahead and ask the reviewer to contact the company to have the problem investigated. Better yet, view our digital marketing services that can help you when it feels like you can’t do it alone.
One Last Thing
You’ll spend less time removing negative business reviews if you can avoid them altogether.
Designzillas is a digital marketing agency with the experience and skill required to navigate the maze that is the world of online customer reviews. Give us a shout and we’ll be happy to help.
