Word of mouth is a powerful currency that can make or break a company’s future. Increasingly, especially in the SaaS industry, online business reviews are an effective stand-in for person-to-person recommendations. In this article, we’ll tell you how to get more customer reviews for your business.
Why are online business reviews important?
Online business reviews can increase your company’s exposure to prospective customers and highlight areas where you could improve. While SEO is probably part of your marketing strategy, having your company featured on business software reviews sites can increase your exposure in search results. Sites designed to provide online business reviews generally have strong SEO – and piggybacking on their work is a low-cost but effective way to increase exposure.
Much like word-of-mouth recommendations, business software reviews can help build trust with potential customers. In 2020, 79% of consumers surveyed said that they trust online business reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family. In addition to building your company’s credibility among potential customers, online SaaS reviews can provide a treasure trove of information that you can use to improve your marketing, onboarding, product features, and more.
Why do people read online business software reviews?
Social proof is a compelling force in people’s decision-making, which is one of the reasons that influencers have become such a popular marketing tool. People like to feel that they’re part of something and that they’re doing the right thing, and your company’s online business software reviews can help to reinforce this confidence. Over 92% of B2B customers say that reading trusted online business reviews makes them more likely to purchase a product or service.
Where do people read SaaS reviews?
Reading reviews on sites like Amazon, Tripadvisor, TrustPilot, and Yelp has become second nature to many consumers who are looking for guidance on personal purchases, but where do B2B customers go to find business software reviews?
Google or another search engine is usually the starting point. If your company’s SEO strategy is working, it should pop up near the top of the search results. If people are reviewing your software, they’ll probably also see results from Capterra, Finances Online, G2 Crowd, GetApp, SaaSGenius, Software Advice, and TrustRadius. All of these are dedicated SaaS review sites that have become the go-to for people looking to purchase SaaS products. As you look into ways to get online reviews for your business, you’ll want to focus on building a presence across these sites in order to maximize your company’s exposure and credibility.
5 Ways to Get More SaaS Reviews
1. Make SaaS review solicitation part of your customer journey maps
We’re strong advocates of using customer journey maps – learn more in this article about how to use SaaS customer journey maps. Identify key points in the journey where customers are likely to be elated with your product, and then use these opportunities to ask them for SaaS reviews of your products. Building this into your normal operations will make soliciting online business reviews de rigueur, helping you to get more customer reviews and build credibility with potential customers.
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2. Make it worth their time
This is a fine line to walk because you don’t want to dilute your credibility by appearing to buy positive reviews. However, a small discount, trial upgrade, or other incentives are generally accepted business practices that can help you get more customer reviews. It should go without saying that the incentive should be offered equally regardless of whether the customer writes a positive or negative review, but tying it to a high-energy point in the customer journey as suggested above will help improve your chances of getting a positive SaaS review.
3. Ask your promoters
If you’re not tracking your company’s net promoter score (NPS), you should be. NPS surveys are based on a single question, “on a scale of 1–10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend?” Customers who give a rating of 9 or 10 are classified as “promoters” and they’re a crucial force in leveraging SaaS reviews to your company’s benefit. Once you’ve identified your promoters, ask them to submit a SaaS review to one or more of the SaaS review sites we’ve mentioned above.
4. Make it easy
One of the best ways to get someone to do you a favor is to make it easy for them to help. In this case, identify a maximum of three SaaS review sites and provide direct links so it’s easy for the customer to click through and leave you a glowing review. To build credibility across several review sites, vary the links provided. This way you’ll get more customer reviews on more sites while garnering maximum credibility and visibility for your company.
5. Respond to every review
Showing that you appreciate people’s feedback and that you take criticism seriously reflects positively on your company. 55% of consumers say they have a favorable impression of companies that respond positively to all reviews. So even if the review is less than stellar, showing that you care by responding with what you’re going to do to address the customer’s concerns is excellent damage control – and can go a long way toward encouraging customers to share their experiences by writing a review.
Use KPIs to Improve Satisfaction and Get Online Reviews for Your Business
Keeping a pulse on all aspects of operations is the best way to ensure your company’s long-term success. These 10 important SaaS KPIs are an excellent place to start. Take it a step further by using Plecto’s real-time dashboards to get on-demand access to a visualized overview of your KPI progress.
Sign up for a free 14-day trial and see how Plecto can help you achieve maximum customer satisfaction and get more customer reviews for your business.
