Tell Us Why You Love Us: Expert Tips on How to Get Valuable Customer Reviews
EDITOR’S NOTE:
At SproutLoud, we only work with the best. To serve the needs of Brands and Partners taking Channel Marketing to the next level, SproutLoud brings together 75+ best-in-class Marketing Service Providers in a network of proven experts who bring their A-game. In this article, we’re proud to showcase one of our MSP experts: Grade.us.
Getting positive reviews from happy customers is still a major challenge for most businesses, including Brands and their Channel Partners. Many customers are not as invested in providing a great review as the company is in acquiring them. Yet, some online review sites make leaving a review a pain in the you know what.
Not all review sites are created equal, and while the value of a Google, Yelp, or Facebook review supersedes most other sites, earning reviews on some of the other directories and niche sites can help companies appear on the radar of more consumers.
Here, we’re highlighting some examples of “low-hanging fruit.” Getting positive reviews on the sites with the lowest entry barrier.
The Simplicity of Login Integration
When a company asks their customers to leave a review on one of these sites, the customer is expecting the process of the review to be as simple as choosing a star rating and leaving a nice, thoughtful comment.
Most online review sites have goals of website traffic and user counts. At the very least, they need you to sign up for an account on their site in order to leave a review (there are actually a few exceptions!). Besides their own business goals, authenticating the reviewer adds credibility to the review. Actual verified customers of the company increase the authenticity of the review further.
Authenticating themselves via their Facebook or Google account can remove the painful barrier of the typical account signup process. As opposed to filling out a form with contact details that may or may not be shared with other companies, using Facebook or Google to verify the reviewer feels less intrusive.
Let’s navigate through select online directories and review sites and identify their login options. We’ve highlighted those that are both valuable and easy for customers to leave reviews:
- 28 Million Monthly Visitors
- YP.com local search connects you with over 19 million local businesses. Find people and find the right business and get things done!
- Login Options:
– Google Account
– Facebook Account
– Email (via Signup)
- 5.8 Million Monthly Visitors
- Search Locally and find what you’re looking for.
- Login Options:
– Facebook Account
– Email (via Signup)
- 12.8 Million Monthly Visitors
- Find great small businesses around the corner and across the country or become one of the 1000 small businesses that will join our community today.
- Login Options:
– Google Account
– Facebook Account
– Email (via Signup)
- 1.7 Million Monthly Visitors
- Search for local businesses on Yellowbook. Find the latest business listings, reviews, phone numbers, addresses, maps, directions and more.
- Login Options:
– Facebook Account
– Email (via Signup)
- 12.7 Million Monthly Visitors
- BBB helps people find and recommend businesses, brands and charities they can trust.
- Login Option:
– No Account Necessary
– Reviews Syndicated Across various Online Review Sites (increased visibility and prestige).
- 14.6 Million Monthly Visitors
- User Reviews and Recommendations of Top Restaurants, Shopping, Nightlife, Entertainment, Services and More at Yelp.
- Login Options:
– Facebook Account
– Email (via Signup)
Takeaways
- While earning reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook should still take precedent in our Online Review Marketing and Management strategy, ignoring the other various directory and niche review sites would be inadvisable.
- Not only do some of these sites earn a ton of traffic, but they may be just as easy for customers to log into depending on their integration with Facebook and Google. Asking for reviews on these integrated sites helps develop authority and prominence across the web. Getting reviews on these sites is another tool in our Local Marketing toolbox.
SproutLoud brings together a wide array of expertise — integrating 75+ vetted and proven best-in-class Marketing Service Providers, including Grade.us, in our Channel Marketing Automation Platform — for a seamless user experience. We take a comprehensive approach to the marketing needs of Brands and their Local Partners, providing dedicated customer support to assist Partners with their marketing programs and common reporting that incorporates all our pre-integrated Marketing Service Providers. SproutLoud’s SaaS-based Platform gives Brands the intelligence to simplify campaign execution, amplify the power of their spend, and accelerate growth through Local Partners.