Why customer reviews are important (and how to get them)

Did you know consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before trusting a company? Or, a product with just five reviews is 270% more likely to be purchased than one with none? In this blog post, we look at why reviews are so important for any business and how you can go about getting as many as possible.

Online customer reviews give prospects a way to learn about your business before making a purchase, from people just like them. While over-marketing threatens to kill relationships between brands and consumers, smoothing the way for customers to share their experiences with your company publicly can boost your brand’s reputation and your bottom line with a near-invisible hand.

According to BrightLocal, consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before trusting a company, and a product with just 5 reviews is 270% more likely to be purchased than one with none. That translates to a significant amount of revenue, whether you’re selling products or services. Let’s take a closer look at why customer reviews are so important, and how you can get as many glowing reviews as possible with the least amount of effort.  

Reviews are the gift that keeps on giving

People believe people: a positive online reputation builds trust and helps to convert searchers into leads, and leads into customers. As only 53% of people would consider using a business with a rating of fewer than 4 stars, making the effort to delight your customers and earn an excellent review can really pay off.   

Giving them an experience worth sharing amounts to both free marketing and increased customer retention rates — meaning sales, sales, sales! As marketing tactics have shifted fundamentally over the last few years and become customer-focused, companies have realised that attracting new customers is a sustainable way to grow, but only as long as a significant amount of existing ones remain delighted with products and services and become lifelong brand ambassadors.

Thinking of working with Huble Digital? Check out our reviews on HubSpot's Partner Directory. 

HubSpot reflected this shift when updating the traditional inbound marketing funnel model to their flywheel — a new way of illustrating how marketing, sales and customer service forms one ecosystem. Read more about it in our blog post, Reinventing the Wheel: Why Customer Delight is a Marketer’s Secret Weapon. 

Review platforms you can tap into

The way we generate high-quality leads has changed to match consumer behaviour. While traditional word-of-mouth marketing is alive and well, 97% of consumers now consult product and service reviews when making purchasing decisions — and there’s a platform for almost every industry and company. Here are 5 key platforms worth knowing:

• Trust Pilot: This Danish consumer review website already hosts more than 102 million reviews of more than 440,000 businesses worldwide. They’re free, independent and open to all consumers and companies. 

• Google My Business: Considered an essential listing, Google My Business offers you a free business profile that lets you manage your online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. 

• Yelp: This online directory connects people with their local businesses — from bars and cafés to beauty salons and home services. Much like a social networking site, users post reviews and rate businesses in their area.  

• Tripadvisor: Targeting those in the travel industry, Tripadvisor is where you’d want to garner excellent online reviews from travellers for your hotel chain, cruise line, or car hire fleet.   

• HubSpot Solutions Directory: HubSpot’s partner directory connects businesses looking for marketing and sales services, with inbound certified service providers based on location, service type and industry specialisation.  

Consider your product or service offering, and set up a profile on the online review platforms that align with your industry and company. After all, it’s worth the risk of a few negative reviews (which are also a great opportunity to showcase how you find solutions to customer challenges). If handled carefully, these solutions-finding conversations between a disgruntled customer and your brand can be as effective at building trust and reputation as a slew of positive reviews! 

How the HubSpot growth platform automates garnering reviews

Garnering regular feedback shouldn’t be a random, patchy affair and doesn’t need to take a chunk out of teams’ time. For example, HubSpot’s Customer Feedback Software makes getting to your customers and spotting opportunities to delight them, efficient and profitable. 

Their out-of-the-box feedback tools make it easy to capture qualitative and quantitative feedback. Customers can share feedback easily via NPS/CSAT surveys found on your website or delivered directly to their inbox. Feedback is then collated and displayed on a single dashboard so your whole team can track and monitor changes in customer satisfaction over time.  

Now, we’re not saying “buy HubSpot” — only that it can be that simple. Their growth platform makes it extraordinarily easy to leverage the power of customer reviews to increase retention rates and boost your online reputation. It’s a taste of what’s possible. 

Interested? Check out our customer service and experience page and let’s unpack how HubSpot’s customer feedback software could work within your digital growth plan, enabling you to harvest the rewards of a robust review program and strategically contribute to achieving your business goals.