Our Thoughts on Customer Reviews: We Want to Hear from You!

July 9, 2010

Posted by Katie Osborne

As you’ve probably noticed, more and more people are looking to reviews to determine whether or not they should buy from a particular store, eat at a certain restaurant or buy a new product. Heck, you might be one of them…I know that I am! The stats are proving that people are trusting an online stranger over advertising. So, what does that mean for businesses? Get the reviews! Get your customers involved!

Here are some surprising stats:

  • 90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know
  • 70% trust opinions of unknown users!
  • 61% of people rely on user reviews for product information or research before a buying decision is made.

Thanks to Bazaarvoice (http://www.bazaarvoice.com), you can find more great stats here: http://www.bazaarvoice.com/resources/stats

BUT, how do you get those reviews. Do you ask for them? Is it okay to talk about it with your clients? This is a question that we were asking ourselves. How do we get more reviews and is it appropriate to ask for them?

Here are our thoughts:

1.  Asking is okay! Here are some creative ways to ask. http://www.getelastic.com/asking-for-customer-reviews/

When we wanted some video testimonials on our website, we asked several of our customers if they would participate. When they said yes, we made sure they were comfortable with good munchies, some good drink and good company. Check out the results: http://www.fullmoondesigngroup.com/testimonials.html

2.  Direct customers where they need to go. Make it an easy task to review you and/or your products. If you want them to review you on Facebook – send them there. Same with Yelp or your own website.

3.  Make it timely. Don’t wait too long before asking for feedback. Amazon is a great example of this. They will submit a request for product review within a week of you receiving your shipment. That way it’s fresh on your mind.

4.  Thank them. Feedback is valuable information for you and your company. Whether good or bad, that conversation and engagement with a customer is priceless and you should thank them for that!

We recently produced a customer service card (http://ow.ly/d/4wL) for one of our customers, Arbor Auto Works (http://www.arborautoworks.com/) and we thought it was such a great idea, we are designing one for our clients!

So, if you own a business, what are the ways you have asked your customers for reviews and feedback?  And, what kind of results have you gotten?  Or, if you are not a business owner, have you ever written a review as a customer?  Tell us your stories.  We’re interested in learning more.

While we are on the subject, do you have an experience with Full Moon Design Group to share? We’d love your customer reviews:

Facebook: http://budurl.com/facebookrevs
Google: http://budurl.com/googlerevs
Yelp: http://budurl.com/yelprevs
City Search: http://budurl.com/citysearchrevs

Katie Osborne, Principal of Full Moon Design Group, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism. The journalism school opened the door to Katie's true love of graphic design. "The graphic design world is always evolving and I'm lucky enough to be right in the middle of it. I'm always learning new tricks, new styles of design and new ways to impress our clients!" In an effort to grow Full Moon’s client base, you will see Katie around the Austin area networking and meeting new people. She's always open to new networking opportunities and meeting people from different industries. Drop her a line if you know of a fun group where she can exchange cards! On a more personal note, Katie gets her kicks hanging out with friends & family and tooling around Austin. Growing and tending to her vegetable garden is Katie's most rewarding hobby and it pays off when she gets to eat the fruits of her labor! She has two pets...a cat named Dixie and a dog named Cash. There is never a dull moment in her life!

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Posted in katie osborne, strategy