User Generated Content (UGC), and more specifically ratings and reviews, influence us. No matter whether we are just browsing, comparing, or close to making a decision: Reviews are taken into account by algorithms, we select products or services according to them, read through the texts sometimes more, sometimes less carefully, and are influenced by reviews in many ways.
It is why Review management is becoming increasingly important for companies. Especially on platforms such as Google My Business, Amazon, or the App Stores, reviews and ratings have a significant influence on consumer behavior.
We have been dealing with the subject of online reputation management and its significance for products and services for several years now and support manufacturers and companies from almost any industry with our review management software. In this guide, you will find more information on why Review Management is essential and how gominga’s Online Reputation Management tool works.
Why are reviews so important?
Customer reviews have established themselves in a wide variety of areas. We no longer book a vacation trip without reading reviews on review sites, we use them to look for a restaurant for Saturday night, and when walking in the city we look at our smartphone and check reviews for the nearest local business. Online Review Management involves building a digital public image.
Of course, the learning app for our children will only be installed, if it has positive ratings. And last but not least our shopping behavior is influenced by reviews on Amazon.
Positive reviews create trust.
In all these areas the following is the same: reviews serve to create or improve customer trust. The opinion of other “users” is trustworthy for us. What we used to discuss among friends in the offline world, happens today online on the corresponding platform in the form of reviews.
What does this mean for companies? Every review is enormously essential for companies because, as described, they influence consumers. Therefore, they have a decisive influence on the success or failure of a service or product. It is repeatedly confirmed by numerous studies.
All companies that have anything to do with the consumer (i.e. ultimately all “B2C” companies) should nowadays take a professional approach to review management. This generally means three things:
- Generate new reviews
- Analyse existing reviews
- Comment on or respond to reviews
Generate ratings and online reviews across different platforms
Generate new reviews:
Depending on the industry, companies should first make sure that their service or product is rated by end customers. Successful Review Management also includes that companies ask their consumers to leave a review.
Taking into account the respective guidelines, this can be done using various email tools. For example, buyers of the product or users of the service receive an after-sales email and are asked to write a review.
Reviews should under no circumstances be bought!
Attention: Reviews should not be bought under any circumstances. It not only counteracts the sense and purpose of the review system but can lead to drastic penalties from the respective platform and enormous damage to brand reputation.
All in all, Review Management can boost overall customer satisfaction, especially positive reviews, and testimonials are very effective.
Review Management: Monitoring and analysis of reviews
Analysis of existing reviews: consumer feedback, which primarily serves to give other consumers an authentic picture from the user’s point of view, can and should also be used by companies themselves. It is virtually free market research directly from the user!
- What does the user like and what does he/she not like?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of my service or product?
- What makes the competition better or worse?
- Why does the customer decide for me, why for the competitor?
These questions and much more are in the feedback of the users. Positive and negative reviews provide insights into customer needs and expectations. Every company should use these essential insights by analyzing reviews and improving its business accordingly. With many reviews across different platforms, companies can improve their products, as well as their customer experience and customer relationships.
Commenting on and responding to reviews
Reply to or comment on reviews:
for many companies (especially brands), online reviews offer the opportunity to communicate directly with the end customer for the first time. Therefore, an online Review Management strategy is key nowadays.
Depending on the platform, it is possible to interact directly with the reviewer by answering or commenting on existing reviews.
In times of the “Direct-2-Consumer”-trend this kind of “customer engagement” should be used. Improve your Reputation Management by answering reviews professionally! Respond to negative reviews, as well!
Relevant Online Platforms for review management
There are various review platforms, but to be able to manage reviews professionally, companies should, of course, first concentrate on the few large and sector-relevant online review platforms. These include Google and Amazon, for example, but iOS and Android for mobile apps (leaving out the restaurant and travel industries with their dedicated platform players), too.
Review Management on Google My Business
Google My Business: Google is one of the most important online platforms worldwide and, also in Germany. Due to its reach, the reviews on Google Maps are, therefore, extremely important.
Every user can rate virtually any business or better said any “location”. In addition to restaurants and hotels, this also applies to any stationary retailer, petrol station, bank branch, etc..
If companies, in turn, analyze these reviews, they can gain key insights into the friendliness of staff, store cleanliness, product range/services, etc.
Companies can also react to ratings and communicate directly with users to improve their image.
Read more about “How to manage Google Reviews”
Review Management on Amazon
Amazon: As the largest online marketplace in the Western world and the number one product search engine, product reviews on Amazon have an enormous impact on our consumer behavior and are therefore of significant importance for all manufacturers and retailers.
Reviews on Amazon not only influence online shopping but also offline shopping, since most consumers today also research online before they shop offline.
Therefore, especially brand manufacturers should analyze customer feedback in the form of reviews to improve their products. Commenting on (negative) reviews and answering product questions is very important, especially for high-priced products that require explanation.
Recommended reading:
Amazon reviews and product questions: this is how you do it (right)!
Review Management on iOS/ Android Apps
iOS/Android Apps: Last but not least, mobile apps are very important for almost all companies. Here reviews have a decisive influence on consumers and must therefore be actively managed, too.
Professional review management with gominga
gominga is the leading technology company when it comes to monitoring, analyzing, and responding to online ratings, questions, and customer reviews across multiple global platforms like Google or Amazon. The process of monitoring reviews of all online platforms can be overwhelming it is where gominga comes in.
With gominga companies can monitor all reviews in one tool. The reputation management software of gominga currently supports the connection of more than 300 platforms and review tools for its review management tool.
It is what review management looks like with the gominga Review Manager:
- How our technology speeds up their online review management.
- How to analyze User Generated Content in terms of reviews and questions on marketplaces, mobile apps, Google My Business, brand shops etc..
- How to transform the customer feedback into valuable insights for your marketing, sales, and product development teams.
- And how to engage with customers on Amazon & Co. – just by using ONE tool: our gominga review management software.
Our video shows how our technology allows our clients to manage online reviews in an easy and scalable way:
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More about review management with gominga
Learn more about how the gominga review manager can help your brand delight shoppers and create a better customer journey across every channel. Or request a demo here.