The Importance Of Online Reviews
Last weekend, I received an email from Tripadvisor congratulating me for making it to the top 15% of the reviewers in Singapore. Apparently, one of the reviews I wrote on a resort in the Maldives racked up 9,958 readers! That got me thinking about the power of review and rating sites, and the role it plays in a buyer’s decision-making process.
Research has shown that 90% of consumers read online reviews contributed by the community before visiting a business. And 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Browsing through reviews has become a pre-purchase routine for most consumers, especially when trying out a product or service for the first time.
Now, let’s approach this from a business’ point of view. Online reviews are an invaluable tool for businesses to build their reputation. But there are some companies who chose to deactivate their Facebook page review section entirely to avoid having to deal with negative comments! Well, that’s probably a little extreme but we all know it is not exactly a walk in the park managing the community and reviews. Here are some quick tips on online review management which I found useful:
1. Ask for feedback
The best way to increase the number of reviews for your business? Just ask. Customers won’t usually proactively provide feedback unless they are extremely satisfied, or dissatisfied with your product. For the majority of your customers, you will need to ask them before they will do it for you.
2) Make it easy to provide feedback
Embed your feedback link on email, website, newsletter, and all sites relevant to your business (Google, Facebook, Yahoo, TripAdvisor, Yelp etc) — anywhere convenient for your customers.
3) Turn negative feedback into opportunities
Negative feedbacks, when managed properly, can be turned into a great opportunity to win new customers. You can also show your community just how much you value every customer.
4) Manage expectations
Do not expect to have perfect reviews, and don’t let a few bad ones get you down. Consumers trust reviews more when they see a mix of both good and bad reviews. Have you ever seen an entire review section filled with all five stars ratings and wonder to yourself, “is this legit?”
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Rating sites play a significant part in any ICO’s marketing plan. Since the launch of our Peoplewave ICO project, the team, and especially Ariunaa Enkhamgalan has been working hard to get our project listed across as many ICO rating sites as possible. What was left for us to do was to sit back and wait for our ‘report card’ to be delivered.
It was a rollercoaster ride for the team as the ratings started to trickle in. We celebrated every high score we earned, and mull over how we can improve on some of the less satisfactory ratings we received. We also used the opportunity to listen in on the public’s sentiment and engage with them by replying to the comments and reviews (both positive and negative) left on the rating sites.
All in all, we are proud of the scores we have received so far. To date, we are listed on over 25 sites such as ICObench, CoinGecko and Foundico. Check out our full report card below.
It is important to recognise that we are not perfect, but we are determined to get close to that.
Do you have any experience in managing touch reviews online? Share your story below!
Micky Lin
VP of Marketing
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About Micky
Micky believes that every brand has a story to tell — stories that will not only engage, inform, and impact their audience, but will also deliver on measurable business results. As a marketer, Micky works with stakeholders to develop and execute their marketing plans to achieve these goals. She is a hands-on leader who has worked with a broad spectrum of consumer and corporate businesses ranging from professional services and luxury retail to sporting events. Micky has a Masters of Arts in Digital Management from Hyper Island / Teesside University and is a business graduate from Singapore Management University.
Micky was one of the founding team members of Marina Bay Sands, Singapore’s iconic integrated resort. She was responsible for driving footfall for luxury retailers at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands through integrated marketing campaigns, events, and partnerships. In her most recent role at Deloitte, Micky headed the employer branding efforts and led the digital and social media teams to grow the firm’s online presence.
About Peoplewave
Peoplewave is Asia’s leading blockchain-ready HR software company. It is revolutionising people management with data-driven, transparent feedback and verified performance data. Peoplewave offers 3 key products — the “First 100 Days”: a new hire onboarding tool; “Performance Wave”: continuous 360-degree performance appraisals; And the “HR Command Centre” analytics suite, which unlocks employee data and insights.
Peoplewave’s software suite is blockchain-ready — its blockchain platform is called “Wavebase”. Wavebase is a revolutionary platform that provides ongoing verified employee performance information that will change the face of hiring and managing workplace talent.
