Using Customer Reviews to Grow Your Business 

Customer reviews are a great way to boost your SEO and bottom line. Think about it, when customers have a wonderful experience with a brand, they’re going to rave about it to others. These positive reviews will help grow business. When happy customers spread the word, the loyalty is infectious. And potential new customers will listen.

Most of today’s consumers use the internet to help with their purchasing decisions. Online shopping usually involves researching and reading testimonials. The most cost-effective marketing tool you have is your group of current customers. Customer reviews can help potential customers connect with you and trust in your brand. This translates to increased revenue. A positive customer experience could make them stick with your brand forever, whereas a negative experience could send them to a competitor.

Customer reviews can explain your product in layman’s terms. This customer-to-customer feedback feels trustworthy. If a consumer is deciding between your business or another, your list of testimonials can be persuasive. Reading a positive quotation from a loyal customer will increase the likelihood of purchases and repeat purchases. So, it’s important to have these first-hand accounts of your product. 

At a recent Boxwell portable storage trade show, “Boxwell Summit 2022,” one of our guest speakers, Christina Alvino of FineView Marketing, discusses the importance of customer reviews. Here’s how she breaks it down:

40 = Average number of reviews consumers expect a business to have

4.42 = Average overall star rating for businesses on Google My Business

4.47 = Average star rating of businesses occupying positions 1-3

43% of consumers would use a business with less than 4 stars

5% of businesses have an average rating below 3 stars

20% of businesses in the top 3 spots have 0 reviews

• The top 3 on a local online search usually features companies with the highest star ratings and most positive reviews.
• People tend to favor a business that has more reviews, even if it has a lower rating online.
• Click through rates for the top 3 make up a combined total of 47.79% of clicks.
• Consumers tend to look for new, updated reviews that will indicate if old issues have been resolved.

DO:
Ask every customer for a review!
Monitor all platforms and respond quickly
Have a dedicated person to respond
Keep responses positive, authentic and concise
Use good reviews in your marketing, on your website and as social media posts

DON’T:
Incentivize customers for positive reviews only
Just respond to positive reviews
Ignore negative reviews
Keep only old reviews. Refresh them with current reviews.
Argue with customers or be defensive

So how do you get customer reviews? First and foremost, your business needs to be in close communication with its customers. What are their biggest needs and pain points? Good customer service cultivates trust and loyalty. The goal is to win and maintain customers with the quality of your product or service. Plan to build loyalty from the start, and you’ll be sure to gain repeat customers. If someone has a positive experience with your brand, there’s no reason for them to look elsewhere! Customer reviews can do so much for your business. If you’re looking for a way to bring in more customers and boost sales, consider increasing your testimonials. Simply ask your customers to write one.

What if you receive a negative review? That’s OK. In business, change and revision are necessary. From new products and features to changes in freight and lead times, the storage industry is evolving now more than ever. Keeping customers happy is harder (and more important) than ever. A negative review should lead to questions like, “What else can we be doing?” and “How can we do it better?” Always check in with the understanding that things evolve. Go over what you are doing together and discuss what can change. Be sure to respond to any negative reviews promptly.

Listen to your customers. Go over their questions with them and be willing to work to solve any issues or concerns. Customers are not only focused on price. It’s also about the experience. So, think about the customer experience you deliver. Are you available and responsive? What’s your attitude? Do you exceed expectations? That sort of thing. Make sure your customers feel valued, treated fairly, and appreciated. Over time, your personalized efforts will develop into deeper connections. These connections will turn into loyalty. And this loyalty will generate positive customer reviews!

At the core, Boxwell uses a hands-on approach to business that is carried throughout everything we do. Our product speaks for itself, and every detail along the way matters. From our first phone call to the finished install and onto the next order, we want our customers to have the best experience with Boxwell. When we need to talk, we pick up the phone. If there are questions, we demo our product. When intrigued with something new, we give it a try. If a team member needs help, we offer it. When our community needs support, we lend our resources. With creative, problem-solving ways of “thinking outside of the box,” anything is possible. That’s our culture.