Addressing positive reviews is vital for your business. Here’s why.
We live in a digital age where everyone is almost glued to their phones and rely on the internet daily. Everything is one click away with information that can be available in one search.
The most popular search engine is Google, with approximately 79 billion users monthly. This makes Google a huge online review platform used by consumers. Some other popular websites for customer reviews include Facebook or Yelp. For businesses, these platforms can be used as a powerful marketing tool to launch your brand further. A positive review can become the deciding factor for a potential consumer to buy your product. It can make businesses seem more credible and encourage others to trust and eventually buy from you.
It is vital to respond to these reviews and not just focus on the negative remarks. Although negative feedback will be your top priority in responding, putting effort into positive reviews shows potential customers that the business cares about the consumers and their thoughts. This shows the company’s effort to read the reviews, and it values the customers’ feedback. Here are some ways to respond to positive reviews:
Thank your customer
Customers take their time to leave a review for your business, so thanking them for their time or for leaving a review. Starting your response with a “Thank you for your response” is a good way to start.
Use keywords
You’d want people to find your business quickly and the positive reviews, so using keywords that consumers might use in search engines would be a great addition to your response. Mention the name of your business as well for a better search ranking and easier direction to the positive comments.
Use it as a marketing opportunity
According to Yelp, you need to respond to the reviews and invite them back or tell them about the new things that your business offers. Use this time to promote or highlight the necessary things that you might want to push for your business at the moment. Anything relevant that will let your customers know what else to expect and let them leave with the key thoughts about certain offers or aspects of your business that you want to push for.
Personalize
Templates are readily available for responses; however, it would also be best for a personalized message to show that the business carefully reads the reviews and makes an effort in responding instead of using a standard automated response. Mentioning the name of the customer is a good way to build a connection. Mentioning specific aspects of their review shows that you have read their response. Avoid copying and pasting responses and use a personalized message to show more sincerity.
Respond in a timely fashion
Consider the time frame when responding. The faster the response, the better it would appeal to readers and the consumers, and it shows that you care about the reviews, insights, and feelings of the customer. Avoid responding months after a review was posted. This shows that insincerity and leaves a bad mark on your customers.
Share the feedback
Positive responses are free marketing materials that your business can freely use. Utilize this as leverage and share positive responses. Make sure people see them and read these positive comments about your business. It would be easier for customers to trust your business and motivate them to buy from you after seeing all the positive responses side by side.
For reviews without comments
According to Local Clarity, the keys to respond to ‘star only’ reviews should be brief, natural-sounding, and casual. It should still express gratitude, and you may still personalize it for variation. Quickly responding is also a key factor because some customers expect a response.
Responding to reviews is more than just handling the bad ones; addressing the positive ones makes a great impact as well. This action creates an online image that the business does not only care about damage control and fixing problems but also takes the time to appreciate and thank the customers who applaud and praise the business. According to Search Engine Land, 88% trust online reviews as much as consumers trust personal recommendations. This shows the power that online reviews hold when it comes to influencing a business and potential customers.
A Final Word About Responding to Positive Reviews
You’ve got the basics of responding to positive comments down! Let Review Llama help you maximize your potential reviews. We provide an easy way of reminding customers to leave a review for your business on websites you prefer through what we call a “review funnel.” This assists unhappy customers give feedback directly. Here at Review Llama, we ask and remind customers to leave a review, therefore increasing the potential volume by guiding happy customers in completing a review and redirecting unhappy customers to a service recovery. Let us help your business get a positive online image!
(Additional sources: Vendasta.)