Customer review marketing: 7 Methods to grow your business

Looking for advice on how to create a customer review marketing strategy for your e-commerce website, small business or brand? You’ve come to the right place. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the exact steps to use customer reviews you receive on your Business Profile on Google (formerly known as Google My Business), Yelp, Tripadvisor, Amazon, Trustpilot and other review sites to:

• Improve your marketing strategy and marketing campaigns across digital marketing, content marketing, email marketing and print marketing
• Increase the number of reviews you receive
• Boost your brand awareness through word-of-mouth
• Attract potential customers 
• Maximize your conversion rates

Existing customers often provide the most valuable referrals, drawing in potential customers and helping increase conversion rates. They also can be your best (and least expensive) marketers, fueling content for digital marketing, email marketing, content marketing and other marketing campaigns. 

Let’s dive into using your customer reviews to harness the power of word-of-mouth to demonstrate the undeniable social proof and value of doing business with your company.

7 ways to use customer reviews to enhance your marketing campaigns

Want to maximize your customer feedback and positive reviews to educate prospective buyers and attract new customers? These are seven of our favorite ways to use customer reviews to build trust, influence buying decisions and improve conversion rates as part of a broader customer review marketing strategy.

1. Display and link to online reviews on your business’s website

Create a reviews page highlighting recent customer experiences. Link it to your business profiles on Yelp, Google, Tripadvisor, Amazon, Trustpilot and other review sites. You can also add a widget of recent Google My Business reviews or embed Facebook reviews on your website.

2. Share excellent customer feedback from top review sites in email marketing campaigns and on social media

Embrace the power of customer reviews to supercharge your existing email marketing campaigns and social media profiles. Include positive reviews about your products or services in your email marketing campaigns and social media posts on channels like Facebook and LinkedIn to attract new customers and encourage existing customers to share reviews.

3. Incorporate positive reviews into your marketing strategy and materials

Showcase personal recommendations and customer referrals as social proof to supplement information about your products and services in your print and digital marketing campaigns. 

For example, publishing quotes from online reviews in your direct mail, print brochures, home page, landing page or other marketing material is a great way to conserve your marketing resources while making an impact.

4. Add positive reviews to your content marketing strategy 

There’s never been a better time to highlight your best customer testimonials on your blog. Think about how powerful adding a post like “The Top 10 Reasons Customers Love [Your Business/Your Products/Your Services]” would be for your company’s website. You can feature product reviews and encourage existing customers to share their experiences in the comments.

You could even showcase more in-depth online customer reviews as a case study for:

• Educating potential customers
• Influencing purchase decisions
• Sharing on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
• Adding to top-viewed pages on your website, such as your homepage, sign-up landing pages and checkout page
• Creating a case study template that can be replicated in the future

5. Include outstanding customer reviews below your email signature and link to your business’s profile pages from top review sites

Take other opportunities to publicize some of the outstanding customer feedback that you have worked so hard to accumulate. A customer quote under your email signature is a subtle way to boost your brand image. Adding a link to your profile pages on Google, Yelp or other review sites enables the reader to look for more information.

6. Highlight customer reviews on your company’s service estimates

If you provide estimates or quotations to prospective buyers, you can share happy customer reviews from review platforms and direct potential customers to learn more. The prospective customer may have questions about your quality or responsiveness, and real customer experiences shared in reviews may finalize their buying decision.

7. Get a “Review us on Google sticker” and other customer review stickers and add them to your storefront

These popular window stickers from Google, Tripadvisor and other review sites are a great way to remind existing customers to share reviews. Recent reviews often yield more new reviews. As a result, word-of-mouth marketing increases, and new customers will more easily discover your company in search engines like Google. 

Whichever method you move forward with, it’s absolutely critical that you truthfully represent the content of your customer reviews. Don’t alter the text of reviews or change your star ratings. Include the correct source and link directly to your online profiles on top review sites. Also, ensure that the use of another site’s name and logo complies with their terms of service.

What is a customer review marketing campaign?

As the name suggests, a customer review marketing campaign is a marketing effort designed to use customer reviews to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Educate potential customers
• Highlight the social proof and loyalty of existing customers
• Support your company’s broader print and digital marketing campaigns across email marketing, social media and content marketing 
• Influence purchase decisions
• Drive conversion rates

Why are customer reviews important?

Online reviews are powerful and can be transformative for small businesses looking to attract new customers. 

Customer testimonials help companies: 

• Build trust and influence purchase decisions. Most consumers (93%) have shared that customer reviews influence their buying decisions. 
• Boost business visibility via search engine optimization (SEO). According to Google Support’s advice for how to improve your local SEO ranking on Google, managing and responding to reviews helps SEO. It is also an essential part of ensuring your Business Profile is accurate, complete and engaging. 

What happens if I receive negative reviews?

If you receive negative reviews, here are the most critical steps to take:

• Respond to the customer feedback
• Acknowledge the issue
• Apologize 
• Offer a refund or other incentives as appropriate
• Make yourself available to address the issue further over the phone, via email or your customer service chat

Check out our complete guide on how to respond to negative online reviews.

Broadly has the tools to streamline managing your customer reviews

Want to get more business reviews on review platforms like Google, Facebook, Tripadvisor, Trustpilot, Yelp and Amazon? Broadly offers automated digital marketing tools that help e-commerce websites and small businesses increase their number of reviews, manage their online reputation and grow their business. 

Want to see how we can help with maximizing your business reviews on Google and other review sites?