Harnessing the Power of Reviews to Grow Your Business

Free Marketing with Intention in 2020 Guidebook: www.alissamcdonald.com/guidebook

Has there ever been a time where one of your friends recommended a product and you went out and grabbed it right away just because they were raving about it? 91% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

Think about it! Before you go to restaurants for the first time, before you book a hotel...what’s the first thing you do? I know I could spend hours reading reviews! And when a product or service doesn’t have reviews, I’m sometimes hesitant to be the first to try it.

So how do we go about getting those reviews, especially with a new product? And how can we be sure our audience actually sees those reviews? In this episode, we’ll talk about the power of customer reviews and how to leverage that power to increase your sales.

Have you ever gone into a pizza shop or a coffee shop and seen a sign where you could get a discount if you checked in on Facebook? That’s the small biz way of drumming up some excitement about their biz. And of course, this isn’t the only way to leverage the power of reviews. I’m going to tell you about some creative ways to showcase your business with social proof.

Reviews feel a little like gifts, right? You’re excited when they pop up- they’re kind of a surprise. But reviews aren’t just good luck. Think about how you could grow your business by seeking out opportunities to get reviews of your work. What if you carved out some time to actively seek out reviews and testimonials? 

You need to start thinking about ways to encourage your current customers to leave their thoughts about your work. Not only does this encourage sharing and word of mouth, but it also strengthens the quality of your brand.

Once you’ve built up a bank of reviews and testimonials, it’s time to get them “out there” to your audience in creative ways. We need to actively and consistently be sharing these reviews. This means sharing them out regularly! Build up your bank of reviews, and get into the routine of putting those reviews out there. 

We’re also going to talk about the downside of reviews. You know what I’m talking about right? Those punch-in-the-gut NEGATIVE reviews. I’ll tell you exactly what to do when this happens.

Remember, if we aren’t sharing our reviews, they’re left hiding in some corner of the internet. We can’t shy away from talking about ourselves and our work. 

Oh, and of course..you know I have to leave you with the reminder that your words of appreciation can carry up another small business- so be sure to go and leave a review of your favorite business today!