Using Customer Reviews And Testimonials

It is not unusual for businesses to fear customer feedback.  Reviews that go live right away are especially feared.  After all, what if they had something bad to say?  Well chances are that someone will have something bad to say about you or your product at some point.  It is inevitable.  However, the benefits of the positive reviews you will receive will far outweigh the few negative reviews that will eventually show up.

Consumers are putting more and more weight on customer reviews.  If this makes you cringe with worry, consider this:  according to a recent Bazaarvoice survey conducted by Keller Fay Group, 51% of the people said they left positive reviews.  And while the Internet has more recently seemed to be the place to go and vent negative feelings about anything and everything, the survey also showed that nearly 80% of respondents wrote reviews in order to reward a company.

As a consumer myself, I read the reviews and testimonials whenever they are available.   I have been known to buy a product even though it had a few bad reviews as long as they were in the minority.  Many times I went on to have a wonderful experience with the product in spite of the negative reviews and sometimes the bad experience that previous consumers warned me about happened to me as well.  I feel that if there are nothing but good reviews and glowing testimonials, then something is amiss.  There is the old saying, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time…”

So I say embrace what your customers have to say, the good and the bad, because consumers on the Internet are looking for what other people have to say about you and your business.  You might as well make it available to them in a way that you have a little control over.  Here are a few tips on making your customer reviews and testimonials work for you.

• Highlight your customer reviews and testimonials, but don’t overdo it.  Pages and pages of testimonials by fanatically happy customers are not necessary and only feel like you are trying too hard to convince the visitor of your worth.
• Using audio or video testimonials and customer reviews can have a bigger impact than standard text quotes.  They stand out to your visitors and also give more credibility to the review.
• If a customer writes about a bad experience with your company, take action to remedy the problem and be open about it.  People understand that sometimes things happen - human errors, technical malfunctions, and miscommunications can all lead to a customer having a bad experience.  What people want to know is how you are going to handle those situations when they come up. 
• Use what your customers are saying about you to better your business.  Customer reviews are a great gauge of what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong.

People want to know what kind of experiences those that came before them had with your business.  If you are an honest business, have a quality product or service, with good customer service practices, you should have nothing to worry about by letting people share their experiences with others.

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