One of the most important aspects of small business marketing is getting more customers through word-of-mouth. And one of the best ways to generate word-of-mouth is through customer reviews. Today, we’re going to talk about why positive reviews should be part of your marketing mix, and how you can get more positive reviews for your business.

As a small business owner, it’s important to understand the role that customer reviews play in your marketing efforts. Customer reviews are one of the most important factors that influence whether someone will do business with you. According to a recent study by Podium, 88% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family.

And it’s not just potential customers who are influenced by customer reviews. Search engines like Google also factor in customer reviews when determining how to rank your website in search results. So if you’re not actively working to get more positive customer reviews, you’re missing out on a big opportunity to improve your visibility and attract more customers.

There are three main ways to get more customer reviews:

Make it easy for customers to leave reviews. The easier you make it for customers to leave reviews, the more likely they are to do so. One way to make it easy is to include links to your review profiles on your website and in your email signature. You can also send follow-up emails after a purchase or interaction and include a link to your review profile in those emails.

Ask customers directly for their feedback. If you want more customer reviews, sometimes you have to ask for them directly. This can be done through surveys, follow-up phone calls, or even in person when you’re talking with a customer. When you ask customers for their feedback, be sure to let them know that you’re looking for both positive and negative feedback so you can continue to improve your business.

Incentivize customers to leave reviews. Offering an incentive for customers to leave a review is a great way to increase the number of reviews you get. Some ideas for incentives include discounts, coupons, free shipping, or even entering customers into a contest. Just be sure that whatever incentive you offer doesn’t violate the terms of service of the review site you’re using.

Once you start getting more customer reviews, it’s important to know how to use them in your marketing efforts. Customer reviews can be used in a variety of ways, but here are three of the most effective:

Use them on your website. One way to use customer reviews is to showcase them on your website. This can be done by creating a testimonials page or by including customer reviews on your product pages.

Include them in your marketing materials. Customer reviews are also a great way to add credibility to your marketing materials. You can include them in things like brochures, flyers, and even social media posts.

Send them to potential customers. If you’re trying to attract new customers, customer reviews can be a great tool. You can compile a list of positive reviews and send them directly to potential customers as part of your sales process.

Customer reviews are an important part of any small business marketing strategy. By taking the time to get more positive reviews and using them effectively in your marketing efforts, you can improve your visibility, attract more customers, and grow your business.

Do you have any tips for getting more customer reviews? Share them in the comments below!