4 Ways to Get Your Customers to Leave Great Online Reviews

As a business owner or a manager, you understand that how people perceive your brand makes a huge difference in your bottom line. Yes, your product or service has to be awesome. But so does your image. And that’s even more relevant in today’s rapidly expanding online world. 

According to research, more than 80% of customers check online reviews before they purchase a product or use a service. If your business does not have goodwill online, you are going to struggle.

So what do you do? One way is to solicit positive reviews from your existing customers. In this post we’re going to tell you how.

1. Ask them personally

The best and the easiest way to get positive reviews for your business is to ask existing customers directly and personally. Customer service should already be a strong point of your business strategy, and you can build on it further by getting regular feedback from customers.

You can simply call up some of your best customers and let them know that you would love to get their testimonial and review to feature online.

Most people will agree if you ask. But if they sound at all hesitant, be sure not to sound pushy. You don’t want to ruin your existing relationships either or risk a less-than-stellar review.

2. Send out email reminders

An effective strategy used by a lot of businesses is to send customers an email reminder several days after they have purchased your product or service.

Your email serves as a virtual “check in” with them to make sure all is well. Invite them to contact you if they have any questions or concerns. And, if they’re satisfied, encourage them to leave a review.

3. Make it easy

One major reason customers don’t like leaving reviews is that it can be time-consuming. So make it easy for them by creating a simple review process.

You can do this by setting up a very short form, requiring just a name and basic feedback instead of asking for extra details like phone number, email, address, item description, date of purchase, etc., etc. Similarly, if you’re emailing requests to customers, consider giving them the option of replying directly to that email with their feedback rather than asking them to take an extra step, like clicking on a link, visiting a site and filling a form.

The easier you make it for your customers, the easier it will be for you to get positive reviews for your business.

4. Resolve bad reviews

Another great way to get positive reviews from your customers is to pay attention to the negative ones.

While negative reviews can definitely hurt your business, each negative review can also be an  opportunity to turn the problem around. For example, you can turn a disgruntled customer into your advocate by apologizing, offering a complimentary service, or replacing a defective product.

Many customers who leave negative reviews actually care about your product or service. Your positive, prompt response can change their mind, cause them to retract their negative review (or amend it with an updated, positive one), and improve your general goodwill online.

It has been proven that positive reviews boost sales and we hope these tips help you generate some great reviews from your customers.

Why Working Remote Is The Only Way To Go

Have you ever had the opportunity to work remotely? Is this something that has eluded you to this point in your career? Are you hoping to make a change in the near future?

While there’s nothing wrong with working in a traditional office setting, a remote setup can change your life forever (in a positive way, of course).

With this, you can work from anywhere in the world, as long as you have the tools and technology necessary to get your job done.

In the United States alone, the number of people working remotely is closing in on 50 percent. There is no way of knowing what the future holds, but there is good reason to assume that this will remain the trend. Here’s why: it benefits both employees and employers in a number of ways.

Here are several reasons why working remote is the only way to go:

1. Freedom To Do What You Want

When you’re required to work from the same office, day in and day out, you don’t have much freedom and flexibility. Instead, you know that you’ll spend a minimum of eight hours a day in this space. Talk about boring.

When you work remotely, you don’t have to be in the same place (unless you want). One day you can work from home. The next you can head to a local coffee shop or restaurant. From there, maybe you want to take advantage of the adventure tourism boom. It doesn’t matter where you are, as long as your company is happy with your performance.

Although the typical telecommuter works for a company with less than 100 employees, employers of all sizes are looking into this strategy.

2. The Best of Both Worlds

Depending on your circumstances and employment arrangement, you may have the opportunity to work remotely on a part-time basis.

According to a survey by GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com, 50 percent of the United States workforce has a job that is compatible with working remote at least part of the time.

With this arrangement, you have the opportunity to work on-site when necessary, but to also take advantage of the benefits of working remote.  

Tip: if you’re interested in working remote but your employer is unsure, offer to compromise with a part-time telework schedule.

3. More Time for the Things You Love

Have you ever held a job where you spend a minimum of eight hours per day in the office? Did this hold you back from dong the things you love?

This can be extremely frustrating, often to the point of having to ditch one or more hobby in order to make a living.

When working remote, this is never a concern. You’ll still put in your time, but since you’re not tied down to an office there is more availability in your schedule to do the things you love.

A good example of this is somebody who spends several hours each day commuting to and from the office. By cutting this out of your life, you’ll have more time for the things you love, from photography to sports and much more.

Find a Remote Gig

If there is no potential to work remotely within your current company, it may be time to start your search for a new gig.

There are many ways to find a remote opportunity, with these ideas a good jumping off point:

·         Online job boards. With the ability to search by “telecommute” or “work from home” you’ll find opportunities that suit your needs.

·         Social media. There is more to social media than fun and games. You can also use Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to uncover your next job opportunity.

·         Your network. Do you know somebody who currently works from home? Would they be willing to help you land a job with their employer? Don’t hesitate to reach out to everyone in your network, letting them know what you’re trying to accomplish.

Conclusion

It goes without saying that some careers are more closely aligned with working remote than others.

For example, the United States Department of Labor notes that people in financial operations, business, and management, have the tendency to work from home more often than other professionals.

Regardless of your current career path, you should seek an opportunity that allows you to work outside a traditional office environment. In today’s day and age, this is the only way to go!

Do you have any experience with telecommuting? Are you doing your best to find a job that allows you to work remotely?

Why your logo really matters

When I think about some of my favorite brands, the products that I buy on a regular basis are not the first images that pop into my head. Instead, the images that most readily come to mind are the logos. The three Adidas stripes and the gold and navy blue Dove logo are, to me, as much a part of the brand as the goods I depend on to fuel my everyday life.

Every entrepreneur knows that in order to resonate with consumers, they have to deploy comprehensive and connected digital campaigns. From effective Facebook ads to influencer marketing posts on Instagram and targeted PPC ads, creating content across digital customer touch points is the key to success. But before brands even begin to ideate compelling ad content and copy, they first have to design a logo that communicates their brand story and connects with potential customers.

Logos are, often, the first point of contact consumers have with a brand. Long before we’ve tested a product our service out for ourselves, our eyes have been drawn to the name, font, shapes, and selected colors that have been carefully chosen to work in tandem as the brand’s marker. More often than not, it is an interesting logo that commands my attention in a grocery store aisle than a product description or, even, a price marker. Strong logos have the power to encourage consumers to forget about pre-existing brand ties in favor of an untested competitor.

While you know that certain logos stand the test of time - think Coca-Cola and the Gap - you might not understand exactly why logos play such a big part in building and sustaining a brand. The elements of a logo - the colors, symbols, shapes, and fonts - create immediate connotations that have emotional effects. When logos are effective it is because every element of their design scheme is working toward a common goal or story. Take the Barbie label for example. This toy symbol is as renown as the platinum blonde hair on each doll sold. The large, swooping cursive in bubblegum pink spelling out the first doll’s name not only sends the immediate message that this is a toy designed for girls, but also that this is a welcoming, fun, not-too-serious toy. If the Barbie logo were in orange or, even, red, the effect would be entirely different.

Color is one of the strongest elements of a logos, and also one of the most researched. There’s an entire school of thought devoted to communicating how and why color makes us feel certain emotions.  For example, take the color yellow: the immediate connotation we assign to yellow is the sun. Because of this innate attraction, we view yellow as an energetic, upbeat color that brings energy and happiness. The brands that utilize yellow in their logos (often) try to communicate these associations; both McDonald’s and Cheerios want to communicate that their food will make you happy.

Through color, alone, brands have the power to convey an immediate and potent message. The trick is, however, really understanding your brand values and product market value and aligning a message with a tangible color scheme. Given all of the interest in sustainable materials and solution, your brand might be interested in appealing to eco-friendly consumers. But if your product is not designed to spark health or is not made from earthy, sustainable materials, assigning the color green as the anchor color within your logo will not make much sense to consumers; upon seeing green tones they’ll immediately decide your product is designed to do something it actually isn't, which will result in mistrust and no repeat purchasing. Even if they are not conscious of it, consumers are reading into the messages your logo is emanating, and if that message does not align with the truth of your product, they will (likely) be turned off by your brand. Shapes are another element of logos that give off instantaneous messages. For example, a circle in a logo automatically communicates a brand built on community and trust. Whereas seeing a triangle in a logo tells a consumer to expect a brand involved in science or religion.

Luckily for today’s emerging brands, there is an abundance of resources to make the log designing process as streamlined and effective as possible. While some brands choose to employ large-scale branding agencies, others have found great success in creating their own logos with resources like Deluxe. Regardless of which path you choose you first have to determine your overall brand mission and message. Understanding who you are, not necessarily who you want to be, but what value you can offer a customer, is the first step in great logo design. To determine the brand qualities you want to communicate in your logo, try deconstructing the elements of your brand, including: history, product, and target audience. From there, you can assign specific messages and characteristics to your logo. For example if your target audience is Gen Z and you know that they are a generation that appreciates community building and authenticity, you can bring a circular shape into your logo mix. There’s no right or wrong way to create a logo, but the ones that stand the test of time tend succinctly and creatively embody all of the elements of a brand in one visual representation.