Blue chalk dark bg

Honest Marketing report - Banner image

Brand integrity: the new frontier for marketing - [Get the report here](/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/brand-integrity-the-new-frontier-for-marketing?cta=banner)

Get more out of your customer reviews with our case studies, webinars and videos. Find the latest trends to promote your company in search and manage your online reputation.

Trustpilot Blog - Build Trusted Brand

Reviews - Build a Trusted Brand

why every business needs an online reputation management strategy

An online reputation management strategy is essential for any business. Growing competition and lack of trust have a serious impact on the decision-making process consumers go through. Here are 4 reasons why your business needs an ORM strategy.

If a company lacks a positive reputation, it’s easy for potential shoppers to look for another company who has gained a positive reputation by earning their consumers’ trust.

Today, 84% of consumers have stopped trusting advertisements. Consumers can now research companies by cost, quality, customer experience, and more in just a couple of clicks, making marketing and advertising claims less trustworthy. Why believe an obviously biased banner ad when the real information is a quick search away?

This trust deficit encourages people to rely on recommendations from other consumers more than anything else. Vendasta found that word of mouth is still the most popular method of recommendation, with over 80% of people trusting reviews as much as personal recommendation, and  92% of consumers reading online reviews. All this shows that customer feedback is one of the most impactful ways to build any business’s online reputation.

Businesses need to make sure they have a business reputation management strategy in order to take advantage of the fact that consumers have shifted their decision-making process. Trust, reputation, reviews, and recommendations are all priorities that can result from the right reputation management strategy. In this article, we’ll show you why business reputation management has become essential in 2020, and how managing your reputation properly can have a positive impact on your business in the long-run.

## 4 Reasons why a great business reputation strategy leads to success

### 1) It increases employee loyalty

Having a professional, talented and loyal staff is key to any business’s success.

Individuals looking for a job will most likely research a company and its reputation on websites like [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/index.htm) before applying. Your own company’s reputation will not only influence consumers’ decisions, but also your future or current employees’ ones.

Glassdoor collects anonymous reviews and information for prospective employees

Knowing how your customers and employees are talking about you is the first big step. Looking for ways to improve your reputation is the next one. By ensuring your business has a reputation management strategy, you’re not only making sure your customers love you, but also your current and future employees. And loyal employees are worth much more than their weight in gold.

Businesses must always prioritise acquiring the best talent possible. After all, a bad hire costs at least 30% of the employee’s first-year earning, a costly mistake. If your reputation is stopping the best talent from applying to your business, you might not even realise how your business is suffering.


### 2)  It helps you promote your business through customer advocates

A customer advocacy strategy can be implemented as part of any company’s overall marketing strategy but it's often ignored by most companies. Customer advocacy leverages loyal customers as brand ambassadors in order to manage your own business’s reputation via existing customers.

These advocates are your everyday customers, which is why they’re more credible and relatable (and thus, more effective) than big-name brand ambassadors, or social media influencers. Today’s lack of trust in advertisements and big brands is the reason why a customer advocacy strategy can be a game-changer for any company trying to stand out from its competitors, or trying to build a positive online reputation.

Airbnb uses customer advocacy to continue building its reputation around the world

Airbnb uses customer advocacy to build its strong reputation all over the world

Airbnb’s strong reputation comes from customer advocacy. According to the YouGov BrandIndex, Airbnb customers are the strongest advocates of any brand, with a score of 73.9/100.

To manage your business’s reputation through customers, it’s important to do the following:

1. Give them the opportunity to share their experience
2. Listen to their needs.
3. Exceed their expectations as a brand.

These three steps are intertwined and feed off of each other. By continuously learning from your customers and exceeding expectations, your customer advocacy strategy should be a breeze to implement.


### 3) It helps build trust, transparency and credibility

Earning and keeping your customers’ trust is key to long-term success and is the core principle of having a reputation management strategy. After all, an honest reputation is the path to consumer trust.

In a world where word of mouth is still the most powerful method of recommendation, it is very likely that your customers will discuss their positive or negative experience with friends or family. Gossip, opinions, and recommendations travel fast, and with a tool as powerful as the Internet, consumers are easily influenced by readily available information, whether it's accurate or not. In order to ensure you’re managing your reputation, you need to manage how consumers are able to discuss your company.

Note: We want to be clear and say that we don’t want companies to control what consumers are saying. Reputation management is about honesty and authenticity. Our point is towards ensuring you have visibility and control in how your consumers are talking about you, not in what they’re saying.

Building trust and credibility is far from easy, but with 88% of consumers incorporating reviews into their purchase journey, online reviews have become the best tool for companies to build their reputation, and influence new visitors positively by building and earning trust throughout the buying journey.

Companies should look towards incorporating a review management strategy as part of their reputation management strategy. It’s an easy way to get an understanding of how your consumers view your company and it will also allow you to highlight and market your reputation to potential consumers.


### 4) It gives you great customer insights dedicated to improving your business

Reputation management’s benefits extend beyond how your customers see you. If implemented the right way, the way you manage your reputation also allows you to learn from your customers to further improve your reputation. By focusing on your customers rather than the means of reputation, you’re able to inherently dedicate your business to your reputation through your own customers.

Listening to customers, getting to know them, understanding their expectations and needs, is what will help you build a strong business reputation. Collecting customers’ opinions and feedback gives businesses great insights into what is expected from them. Managing your online reputation through customer feedback can also help you improve your customer experience, improve your products and services, and ultimately, your business.

Interacting with customer feedback can also help you manage negative situations and is its own form of reputation management. By replying to unhappy or frustrated customers you’re proving that your brand cares and is willing to take the time and address customers’ issues and needs..

By responding to this 1-star review, this company proves to everyone that they're willing to work harder and improve their service.

This company responds to a 1-star reviews

Did you know 76% of consumers say that they view customer service as the true test of how much a business values them? With a number this high, it’s become essential for companies to listen to their customers in order to improve their overall reputation.

### Launching your reputation management strategy today

Gossips and rumours are powerful and can destroy any company. It’s time to start listening to what your customers have to say, in order to truly be in control of your business’s reputation.

Coming up with a clear and strong strategy to manage your business’s online reputation will help you build trust, and therefore increase customer confidence and sales, which will grow your business’s bottom line in the long-run.

To manage your online reputation, it’s vital to keep an eye on customer feedback, have a strong team of loyal and professional employees, have a great product and customer service, and a strong and loyal customer base.

Looking to take charge of your reputation? Find out how Trustpilot can help you [manage your reviews, both positive and negative](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-to-respond-to-negative-reviews), and build your online reputation, watch our latest video and download a free copy of our reputation management report below.

4 Reasons why every business needs an online reputation strategy

ultimate trustpilot credibility checklist

By finding what makes a website credible. A credible, trustworthy website builds confidence for your visitors, which means they’re more likely to navigate on-site for a longer period of time, and therefore to convert and make a purchase.

We’ve put this credibility checklist together to help you find ways to establish trust with your audience throughout the customer journey on your site.

Here are 10 ways to make your website more credible in the new year...

### 1. Are you paying enough attention to website design?

Visitors form first impressions of your site within seconds. When arriving on a website’s homepage, a user will decide almost instantly whether or not they like your site. According to Blue Corona, 48% of people cited a website’s design as the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business.

It’s up to you whether you choose to build the site yourself, use a template, or hire a website designer, but we recommend investing in a good design to retain visitors on-site.

### 2. Can visitors find your contact information easily?

A street address and phone number imply that you are reachable, and therefore that you are a real company. Real = credible, you see. 64% of users want to see the company’s contact information on a company’s homepage. Visitors will most likely be looking for it in your footer, and possibly in your header if your business depends on incoming calls. A contact page is a must too, so make sure your users can find it easily.

List a physical street address and phone number to establish trustworthiness and make your website credible. 

### 3. Are you leveraging social proof?

Having a community is a big confidence booster when it comes to making purchases. Showcasing any testimonials, customer stories, or reviews you might have will make your website credible and trustworthy. Indeed, 88% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

If you don’t have enough reviews just yet, consider publishing case studies of existing clients, or link to some of your most encouraging social comments your customers might have left. Highlighting your number of followers or any social media posts your customers might have mentioned you in can have a positive impact on your visitors’ purchasing decisions.


Example of social proof on Fabletics’ website

Screenshot of Fabletics page showcasing its credibility with user-generated photos and Trustpilot reviews

Fabletics social proof

Here's why your customers' words are so powerful

### 4. Have you published your privacy policy and terms of use?

Adding policy and terms of use makes a website credible and demonstrates transparency to visitors and customers. Your privacy policy explains what you do with customers’ data and how you protect their details, which is a must… especially after GDPR. One of the major changes of GDPR is that businesses will need to detail how they use customer information in a clear and understandable way. 

That’s why making your terms and conditions as well as privacy policy easily accessible has become essential to build even more credibility since the implementation of GDPR on 25 May 2018.

### 5. Are you using trust seals, symbols, or badges?

Trust signals, (or trust badges), verified by third parties, are extremely important when it comes to deciding whether or not a business is legitimate and credible, especially if your business collects sensitive customer information such as payment details. There are a few trust badges you may have seen before that will make a website more credible. 

The Trustpilot logo, or Trustpilot’s on-site widgets, ‘TrustBoxes’, show that other consumers have bought from your site or done business with you. This proves that your website is trustworthy, and therefore helps boost consumer confidence.


The Yacht Week uses a TrustBox carousel to show its visitors what they can expect

The Yacht Week home page with Trustpilot reviews 

The Yacht Week home page displaying Trustpilot reviews with a Trustbox carousel

The Yacht Week Trustpilot reviews

Other trust seals like Paypal, McAfee, or Norton give customers more trust when paying online. Web research group [Baymard Institute](https://baymard.com/) conducted a survey in which they asked shoppers which security seals generated the greatest sense of trust when shopping online. 


Trust signals make your website more credible

Graph showing which kind of trust and security symbols are best

Trust signals

Norton and McAfee seem to be the most popular ones, but there are many trust seals to choose from, so make sure you do your research before you pick yours.

### 6. Are you limiting advertisements?

Although advertisements may be a nice form of income for your business, most consumers dislike anything that interferes with their buying journey.

[Marketing Sherpa](https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/most-disliked-ad-types) asked consumers which types of advertisements they disliked the most when browsing online. Here’s what they found out:


Graph showing which kind of ads are like and disliked 

Consumers dislike online banners

The poll clearly shows that pop-ups and banner ads are amongst the 5 most disliked type of online ads. Having too many ads on-site can have a negative impact on the user experience and can send the wrong signals to your visitors. 

The more ads your website features, the more desperate you’ll seem to users. Keep ads to a minimum, and if you can, don’t use them at all in order to make your website more credible and valuable.

### 7. Do you still use cheesy stock photos?

Nothing’s worse than a cheesy stock photo featuring strangers smiling at each other and shaking hands. Website visitors are savvier, and nothing shouts ‘fake business’ more than a website full of posed, ‘fake’ photos. An eye-tracking [study from Nielson Norman](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/photos-as-web-content/) Groups showed that using detailed photos is more attractive than including a more generic, stock image. 
It’s always best to opt for more natural photos, so choose stock photos wisely, even if this means you have to pay for better, more natural stock images, or simply display your own product or service pictures.

### 8. Are you keeping an eye on your content?

Make sure your website displays relevant and updated information. Spelling mistakes and broken grammar are a big no-no. More than half ([59%](http://www.writemysite.co.uk/13-copywriting-statistics-for-your-business/2015/03/19/)) of web browsers would avoid doing business with a company who made obvious spelling or grammar mistakes, so it’s important to always have a copywriter or content strategist on-hand checking what gets published on-site. 

Research from eConsultancy found that [93%](https://www.pure360.com/why-personalisation-is-important-what-7-statistics-tell-us/) of companies saw an uplift in conversion rates after personalising their content, so if you can, consider using tailored content based on your visitors’ behaviour and the personas you’re targeting. 

### 9. Have you humanised your brand?

People generally find it easier to do business with or buy from a company they feel connected to. Making yourself more approachable and marketing yourself as a ‘human’ brand will bring you more credibility. Photos of team members, bios, or fun facts are always a plus! 

Check out the two moving and removal companies below - one is using stock imagery as an example of its audience where the other highlights the individuals’ involved in the company. If you’re looking to hire movers, wouldn’t you want to know who’s doing the moving?


A screenshot excerpt of a moving company's site

Example of generic website

Screenshot of a removals company showing the people in the company

Example of 'human' business

### 10. Are you showcasing your security?

When purchasing from a new online business, consumers need to know their data is safe and secure, and that they have the option to go back on their decision if they feel the need to by returning any item they might have purchased from your company.

To make a website credible, you have to provide security to your visitors and your potential customers. This starts with making online payments as secure as possible, and offering a good return policy to all. Provide information about your secure channel, and make sure you include trust symbols like a padlock in the address bar, a https:// address, a green address bar or a [valid certificate](https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/shop-safely-online). Including these can make a huge difference in making your website credible.

If you follow these best practices, your users will most likely gain confidence in being able to use and navigate your website simply because it looks legitimate and trustworthy!

What are some of the best things you’ve implemented to make your website appear more credible? Share your tips with our readers, or download a free copy of our Trust Signals & Social Proof report.


canvas8 report teaser banner

Canvas8 teaser banner

 10 Things that make a website credible: the ultimate checklist

Trustpilot new Benchmark tool

factors that increase trust

There are three simple rules that all companies should follow if they want to improve their online reputation strategy. One is, of course, to start collecting reviews, which are easy for consumers to write. Another rule is that you, as a business, should have a clear review strategy in place: What is your goal when collecting feedback? What do you want to learn? How can you grow and improve? 

The third and final strategy you should follow to improve your online reputation is to learn to display the great feedback you have collected. Consumers love to read about other people’s experiences and to discover new companies through user-generated content. Did you know that nearly [62% of online shoppers perform a company search when unfamiliar with the brand name – and few are likely to buy if they see negative reviews on the first page of the search results](https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/6-ways-to-make-trust-your-essential-brand-differentiator)? Something to think about...

## So how can I get an overview of my online reputation? 

When we talk to businesses, we often hear that they try to employ a wider strategy to better understand and manage their online reputation. Many companies use different services to collect customer feedback, such as review platforms or social media. Many also do manual market research to find out perhaps why similar companies in their industry are performing better. 

To help speed up the process, Trustpilot recently released [__*Benchmark* - a free-for-all tool__](https://businessapp.b2b.trustpilot.com/#/dashboard/benchmark) to get an overview of how you are performing in Trustpilot. This simple, yet effective tool can provide aggregated information from public data on Trustpilot, and help you get an overview of how your company and other companies are performing while allowing you to dive deeper into how you can use Trustpilot better.

Benchmark Trustpilot new tool

## 3 Ways to strengthen your online reputation strategy

Once you have a benchmark to measure your improvements against, you can set up a clear strategy. If you recall earlier we mentioned that there are three simple rules that help companies achieve a great reputation. 

Let’s dive deeper into how each of these rules can help your company grow online and connect with more consumers. 

### 1. Customer feedback will always be important

More reviews mean more customer feedback to learn from. Having more positive reviews can also improve your overall TrustScore. Today, [82% of shoppers are more likely to purchase after reading positive star ratings and reviews](https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/why-and-how-social-proof-influences-consumers). 


customer feedback is so important

There are multiple ways to improve your review collection and subsequently influence a better TrustScore. Start by making sure your customers are happy with your service! Moving from manual to automatic invitations can be helpful to streamline the whole process. Finally, collecting product reviews, along with service reviews, can sometimes increase the number of reviews you can collect.

### 2. Keep working to improve your rating

What makes a customer leave a 4-star review instead of a 5-star one? Collecting scores is great, but real qualitative feedback lies in each review. 


overview of all reviews

Can you improve that review? Certainly. Consumers who have spent time ranking their experience and sharing their feedback through a review obviously care about your company and its customer service, but they’re also warning you and other consumers that there is room for improvement.

If your goal is to get a great online reputation, then you should set up a strategy that will respond to these consumer signals and will help you improve and grow your business. Trustpilot can help with analytics or AI tools that will gather [actionable insights](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/introducing-trustpilots-new-machine-learning-tool-review-insights), but ultimately it is your decision whether or not to act upon the consumer feedback.

### 3. Make sure your business is easy to find

We know that consumers like to search for, and discover new companies. There are multiple types of research which found that over 90% of consumers research companies and read reviews before making a purchase. 

You should make sure your company is ranking in the right places, be that search, social media, or any other listing that helps customers discover new companies, like Trustpilot’s category directory. Trustpilot updated the categories based on Google MyBusiness categories to make sure all consumers can easily identify companies. Trustpilot is also allowing companies to choose the categories themselves. 

This is why in the new __Trustpilot Benchmark__ tool, Trustpilot has added a transparent overview of your categories, and categories of similar companies you want to view. We hope this tool will help you better understand your position and guide you towards a better online reputation strategy. __Disclaimer:__ The information presented in this tool is for your company’s internal use only and may not be used externally in any way, for example, to make comparative advertising.

Trustpilot Benchmark is free for all Trustpilot customers, and you can find it under the Analytics tab.


Trustpilot new tool categories

If you’re not a Trustpilot user (just yet!) and would like to learn more about our new Benchmark tool, please request a free Trustpilot demo by clicking the banner below.


3 Strategies to improve your online reputation with Trustpilot’s new Benchmark tool

Getting more reviews with trustpilot

Customer Reviews are essential to every business because they're the source of truth and word of mouth when it comes to seeing how a business performs. Here a few quick tips on how to generate more customer reviews.

With 92% of people reading reviews and [80%](https://www.vendasta.com/blog/50-stats-you-need-to-know-about-online-reviews) of shoppers trusting customer feedback as much as personal recommendations, reviews have become essential as part of any eCommerce company’s business strategy.

Collecting online reviews might be the easiest way to grow your business’s online presence. By collecting fresh content every day in the form of reviews, you can achieve your long-term goals of improving your SEO, conversions, and sales, but it’s not always easy figuring out how to do it without bothering customers.

Asking for feedback can sometimes feel uncomfortable, but it’s important in order to develop your business, combat customer churn, and boost customer retention.

In this article, we’ll take you through all the ways you can get more online customer reviews in a smooth and easy process.

## How to get more customer reviews

### 1) Don't be afraid to ask

Asking personally is the ideal way to get more reviews. If you happen to have an online and offline business, the person-to-person request is probably the most effective one, especially if the salesperson or advisor has spent a lot of time with the customer.

If a sales associate spends half an hour or more helping a customer pick the right product or service for them, they are building a bond, which then makes it easier for the employee to ask for a review at the end of the sale.

__Trustpilot’s tips:__

- Build an __omni-channel seamless experience__: If you have an in-store presence, ask for feedback in person, or ask for customers emails via tablets so you can send them a review invitation post-purchase. You can personalise the messaging to increase their response rate. The easier it is for customers to write a review, the more likely they are to do it.
- If you have an __online-only presence__, make sure you’re asking for a review as soon as a customer completes a transaction, either onsite or as part of a transactional email receipt.
- __Don’t be afraid to ask__. If you want to boost customer retention, use the insights from the feedback you received to improve the areas of the business that got the most criticism.

### 2) Collect feedback at the source

Why not integrate your feedback collection directly onto your products?

Trustpilot now offers Feedback Stickers to all customers, helping all businesses collect more reviews, and proving that these companies care about their customers, and want to know whether or not they met their customers' expectations by collecting feedback at the source - as soon as they receive their orders.


Trustpilot collecting reviews packaging

Ted Paff, CEO of CustomerLobby, agrees reviews should be collected shortly after the service/product was received:

__Trustpilot’s tips:__

- __Think outside the box__. Add feedback collection to your products, parcels, packaging, flyers. Add inserts to packages, or gamify the process of leaving a review to increase response rates.
- __Make it easy__ for customers to leave a review: QR codes, links, even easy-to-send text message options (‘text 1 for one star, ‘5’ for five stars) can boost response rates.
- __Optimise your response rate__. Choose the moment when your customers are most engaged to increase the rate of response. This is  usually after they’ve received their service or product.

### 3) Send email or SMS invitations

If you’re an online company, asking for feedback via email or SMS may be your only option.

We recommend being as candid and open as possible when contacting your customers by email. It’s important to remind them how much their opinion matters to your business, how much you care, and why you’re asking for feedback. It’s about making them happy and improving your business so all customers can have a better experience.

But when’s the best time to ask a customer to leave a review?

__Send an invitation once the customer has received their order.__

Be careful, don't wait too long to email shoppers! A Gartner study has revealed that feedback collected immediately after an event is on average [40%](https://www.gartner.com/doc/489712/implement-customer-satisfaction-management-processes) more accurate than feedback collected 24 hours later.

__Trustpilot’s tips:__ 

- Ask __every customer__ for feedback. Avoid cherry-picking.
- Send the email from a real person’s email address to make it feel like a __personal interaction__.
- Write an __informal email__. Present the request as an open conversation from person to person. The more the email looks robotic, the less the customer will engage!
- __Optimise invitations__ like you with would any customer-facing interaction. Test messaging, subject lines, channels, and placements.
- Don’t forget your CTA needs to be __clear__, __easy to find__, and __easy to fill out__!

trustpilot email invitation

### 4) Send reminders

Don’t be afraid of sending reminder emails!

Following up can improve your review response rates, if it is done properly.

You should send a reminder to customers who haven’t responded, three or four days after the first email or longer if their purchase was a big ticket item or won’t be replaced for a long time. For example, be sure to send a reminder email within days or weeks for any food purchases but you can wait a few months if you want a customer to review a washer/dryer unit.

Don’t forget to include clear CTAs and links to leave a review on the channel of your choice.

__Trustpilot’s tips:__

- __Always__ send a reminder to customers who didn’t leave a review after your first invitation email.
- Don’t forget to include a __quick, explanatory sentence__. Here’s an example - “We’re hoping you leave a review - it’s good for us, and great for other customers!”
- If the shopper doesn’t leave a customer review after your second email, leave it until their next purchase or integrate it as part of your marketing strategy.

### 5) Use third-party review platforms like Trustpilot

Ever heard of review platforms? We hope so!

Trustpilot is one of them. Third-party review sites like Trustpilot can help your business collect [customer feedback](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-to-turn-reviews-into-referrals-and-ultimately-more-sales) about your company, your products, and your services. 

They allow businesses to automate their review collection, [learn from their reviews](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/dos-and-donts-best-practices-for-responding-to-reviews), and offer widgets to display them on-site, whilst enabling social sharing.

Trustpilot’s SEO widgets provide optimised data to Google, helping your company's web pages display stars and ratings directly on search engines, providing insight into your company’s reputation and potentially increasing click-through rates on your search results.

SEMRush, a competitive intelligence tool used by SEO experts, notes that businesses do benefit from an SEO standpoint by using a third-party review site to get more customer reviews.

Third-party review platforms also make sending invitations and collecting customer reviews automated, easier, and quicker.

__Trustpilot’s tips:__

- Use an automated service to send email invitations and get more online customer reviews, quicker!
- Pick an open and trustworthy third-review platform: cherry-picking  is not recommended.
- Opt for a Google-friendly platform - Trustpilot can help you get more visibility with Google Seller Ratings and Review Snippets.

There are many different ways to get more customer reviews, but these are by far our favorites! If you’d like to learn more about third-review platforms and how they can make collecting reviews easier for you, why not book a demo with one of our Trustpilot experts sometime this week? 

5 Ways to get more online customer reviews

trustpilot guide social media reputation management

Social media is an important factor in building a positive reputation for your company because almost everybody uses it. In order to manage your online reputation and make the most of customer advocacy, engage with your followers and showcase your reviews.

## 3 Ways to build a social media reputation management strategy
 
### 1. Start showcasing customer reviews 

Company reviews represent a seller’s trustworthiness, reputation, and customer experience. Online reviews provide social proof, and your customer’s voice is the most useful tool you could ever use to build your online reputation. Indeed, today’s consumers rely on recommendations from their friends and family, but also from influencers and other consumers.
 
Did you know that 80% of consumers said they’d be more likely to purchase from a brand if they saw positive user reviews on the company’s Facebook page? Showcasing your customer reviews directly on your social profiles can make a huge difference in building trust and engaging with your audience. 

Trustpilot’s Facebook integration tool allows businesses to share their customer feedback on their account, and let their Trustpilot rating speak for itself!


Fabletics Trustpilot social media reputation management

AutoTrader Trustpilot social media reputation management

But as most social media experts envisioned a couple of years ago, social media is changing, and visual content is growing considerably, with 20 times more engagement on posts with pictures, and 94% more views on articles with images in 2017. And as visual content marketing continues to grow, Facebook posts with images bring on average 2.3 times more engagement than regular posts without any form of visual content.
 
Most customers now interact with businesses on social channels during the different stages of the buying journey. That’s why sharing online reviews on social media can help your content stay personal and up to date, while helping you stand out from the competition and build your online reputation.
 
To do just that, Trustpilot’s Image Generator tool lets you combine images with online reviews in order to help you get more visibility both on social media and online.


Sharing reviews on social media

The Image Generator helps you build a strong visual content strategy while still targeting a wider audience, driving more engagement from users, increasing click-through rate, and building a strong online reputation.

### 2. Engage with your social media audience

Easier said than done. 

How do you know what your audience loves? Facebook, Twitter or Instagram analytics can help you understand what type of content your followers like to see on their feed. 

Regularly check your analytics to get inspired, and try to share more of what your audience would like to see: more product pictures or videos, more how-to guides, more industry trends, more testimonials, etc.

We also recommend using Trustpilot’s Review Insights tool to get a good understanding of what works within your business, and identify key areas of development. By highlighting your main pain points, you’ll be able to address certain problems on social media, and engage with worried or angry customers! 


Trustpilot machine learning tool sentiment score

Yes, listening is important, but asking is just as essential in order to build a positive social media reputation, so do not hesitate to ask questions to your audience!

You can also use sentiment analysis to answer some of your most frequently asked questions, such as shipping costs and time, discount codes, customer service, opening hours, etc.

Finally, don’t be afraid to encourage and inspire your community, share any content you might find relevant to your brand ethos and concept: videos, news articles, your own blog posts, infographics, or reports. 

Remember, the more insightful and valuable content you share with your audience, the more likely they are to respond! And the more engagement you get, the more trust you will build. Great social media reputation management also starts with great content.

### 3. Start leveraging customer advocacy 

[Customer advocacy](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/your-guide-to-customer-advocacy-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important) is a state of marketing where customers are the spokespeople for your brand. It is different from influencer marketing, and can take the form of a customer’s video testimonial, images of them using your product/service, or even reviews. User-generated content triggers a high level of emotion from the customer, making it a leading marketing tactic by major companies like Daniel Wellington, IKEA, Coca-Cola, or even Sweaty Betty. 


Daniel Wellington promote their products through their customers’ pictures on Instagram and Facebook

user-generated content social media reputation

TigerGemstones regularly post their customers’ pictures and Instagram stories on social media

customer advocacy social media reputation management

Leveraging customer advocacy is an excellent way for brands to use their most passionate customers to increase brand awareness, stand out from the competition, and build a great social media reputation. 

A Factory360 research found that 57% of small businesses say that having a relationship with their consumers is the primary driver of repeat business, and with 84% of consumers admitting they do not trust advertisements anymore, it’s becoming clear that consumers are now seeking third-party validation more than ever when making an online purchase.
 
That's why you should be lveraging social proof on social channels.

Today, [76%](https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/infographic-how-millennials-and-baby-boomers-consume-user-generated-content-175307/) of individuals admit that they’re more likely to trust content shared by “normal” people than content shared by brands, and customer advocacy has been shown to increase marketing effectiveness by as much as [54%](http://www.marketshare.com/insights/white-papers/303-quantifying-the-role-of-social-voice-in-marketing-effectiveness-executive-summary).
 
Engaging with consumers takes more time than ever before, and it’s getting harder for retailers to convert visitors into customers. The growing lack of trust means consumers are no longer interested in brands that try to sell hard. Today’s consumers are looking for customer-centric brands, that create communities of brand advocates by rewarding loyalty. 

Customer advocacy is a never-ending process. It is the best way for brands to engage with their customers, reinforce brand loyalty, and build a great social media reputation thanks to word of mouth.
 
It’s time to get started! 
 
Building a great social media reputation management strategy is hard work, but it will pay off in the long run. If you have any more questions before getting started - tweet us at @Trustpilot using #onTheBlog. Otherwise, download Trustpilot's free report below, and find out what impact leveraging reviews as UGC could have on your online reputation.


Download our complete guide to reviews

Trustpilot’s guide to social media management

Reviews provide direct opinions from your customers. There is benefit in it, no matter if it’s constructive criticism, which would help a business grow, or whether it is a compliment to validate the employee’s hard work.

## Let your business shine with Trustpilot

Trustpilot's reviews inside Hellprint's website

image showing helloprint's website including trustpilot's reviews

One of the most obvious ways to integrate reviews in your marketing strategy is to display your overall ratings. Place them on a sidebar on your e-commerce website, in your TV ads, on your packaging, or just print them out on a sticker or a sign and put it up on your shop window. 

If numbers don’t seem as persuasive as words, quotes from customers can also serve well for such purposes. That is, as long as the sentences selected are short and powerful. 

## The power of reviews in online marketing

### Social media 

According to Forbes, 1 in every 4 consumers uses social media to search for reviews. While that may not seem like a big percentage, it is important to use all opportunities to draw in customers. Unfortunately, Facebook reviews are not enough to convince customers of the quality of a brand. 

For further validation for your brand, third-party review platforms like Trustpilot can be linked to any Facebook page. Trustpilot also offers an [Image Generator tool](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/trustpilot-labs-putting-customer-reviews-in-the-social-spotlight) to highlight some of your favourite reviews, directly on your feed. To fully capitalize on the reviews on social media, it is a good idea to include numerous links to your e-shop. That way, customers can directly click on the ‘shop now’ CTA after they’ve made their mind up based on reviews leveraged on your profile.

Image of HelloPrint's Facebook profile page, showcasing Trustpilot's reviews

### Emails 

Emails are a powerful tool, which is proven to be very useful for persuading customers to purchase products. 59% of respondents from Experian’s research state that emails influence their decision about purchases. Combining the influence of email marketing with the high impact of reviews as a stamp of social proof results in a highly convincing message for customers. 

Customer reviews are best used in welcome email sequences in order to build trust with your potential new customers. They are particularly useful when customers have signed up, but have not placed an order from your online shop. 


## Do online reviews work offline?

An area of marketing strategy that cannot be overlooked is print advertising. The main advantage of print advertisements is tangibility. They make brand appear real and trustworthy. Especially if banners or posters are interactive, they could be easily connected with an online marketing campaign, providing the best of both worlds. Reviews serve to provide another layer of customer approval on advertisements. 

In their search for original marketing, brands sometimes go back in time, when direct mailing was a popular strategy. However, it is important that direct mailings are updated with a fresh modern look to be really effective. 

To make direct mailing even more impactful, place you reviews on the print materials. A review score or a couple of quotes will assure customers that your brand is trustworthy.


Picture showing some examples of direct mailing including Trustpilot's ratings

## What about negative reviews?

Negative reviews are vital for growth. A surprising way to use them is as an idea box for experiments to improve your business.A lot of ideas can arise, if the reviews are carefully read and analyzed. Trustpilot’s new [Review Insights tool](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/introducing-trustpilots-new-machine-learning-tool-review-insights) allows businesses to use the power of AI to identify trends and areas of development, and work towards delivering a better customer experience. 

For example, a couple of reviews might state that a website is difficult to use. From this step, it is important to investigate exactly how is that so. Statistical measures, which would provide information about which pages are difficult to understand are the bounce rate, as well as drop out rate in the process of purchase.

However, it is good to point out that all measures are not directly proven to be related to customer confusion, there could be many reasons, that’s why A/B testing is a good way to find out what works. 

What is A/B testing? At its simplest, it is an experiment which includes two sample groups. In practice, this would mean that you show part of your customers the old page, and the other part the updated version. After a period of time, you can analyze the measures, and iterate on how to proceed with the gathered data. 

Here’s an example from Helloprint. They hypothesized that including Trustpilot reviews on the top of their page, next to their main USPs and value propositions, would have an effect on conversion rate. The test was successful and resulted in an increase of conversion rate.


Helloprint's banner without Trustpilot's ratings during the A/B test

Helloprint's banner without Trustpilot's ratings 

Image showing Helloprint's banner without Trustpilot's ratings during the A/B test

Helloprint's banner showcasing Trustpilot's ratings during the A/B test

Helloprint's banner including Trustpilot's ratings 

Image showing Helloprint's banner including Trustpilot's ratings during the A/B test

Reviews provide direct opinions from your customers. There is benefit in it, no matter if it’s constructive criticism, which would help a business grow, or whether it is a compliment to validate the employee’s hard work.

Find out how Trustpilot reviews can help you out today, download a free copy of Trustpilot’s Complete Guide to Reviews below.


Download the complete guide to customer reviews

Picture of a smiling woman inviting to download the guide to customer reviews

__Author:__ This blog post was written by Slavena Varbanova, Content Marketer at HelloPrint.

Using Trustpilot reviews in your marketing strategy

Picture of a woman typing on a laptop's keyboard while visualizing Trustpilot's homepage

How to use Trustpilot reviews in your marketing strategy

5 Best Magento Extensions for Building an Online Store

40% of consumers say that [trust is one of the most important factors](https://www.markmonitor.com/download/report/MarkMonitor_Online_Shopping_Barometer-q4-2018.pdf?cid=pr) when it comes to shopping online, putting it on par with other factors like ease of search, good deals, and product choice.

So if you’re a Magento entrepreneur looking for the best way to create customer confidence — whether it’s by showing that your customer data is protected, your online payments are secure, your CX is seamless, or simply that others have purchased from you before — there are some eCommerce tools you shouldn’t ignore.  

## Here are five must-have Magento extensions to build a trusted online store:

1. [ZeroBase Software Encryption](https://marketplace.magento.com/zerobase-zerobaseencryption.html) 
2. [Stripe Payment Gateway and Subscriptions](https://marketplace.magento.com/magenest-module-stripe.html) 
3. [LiveChat](https://marketplace.magento.com/livechat-module-magento-livechat.html)
4. [Advanced FAQ by FMEextensions](https://marketplace.magento.com/fme-module-advance-faq.html) 
5. [Trustpilot Reviews](https://marketplace.magento.com/trustpilot-module-reviews.html)

Zerobase Encryption

### 1. [ZeroBase Software Encryption](https://marketplace.magento.com/zerobase-zerobaseencryption.html)

If your eCommerce website is ever hacked or your lose customer data, your reputation can be seriously harmed – and it may never recover. The costs of legal liabilities, loss of customer trust, and diminished word of mouth marketing add up quite a bit.

It’s estimated that each customer record lost in a data breach [costs eCommerce companies an average of $172](https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/02/cost-of-a-data-breach.html).

To combat hacks and security breaches, [ZeroBase Software Encryption](https://marketplace.magento.com/zerobase-zerobaseencryption.html) offers a high level of encryption to protect your customer’s personal information.

ZeroBase Software Encryption encrypts all sensitive and sales-related data on your website, including addresses, names and more. In addition, it helps protect against SQL injections and other common vulnerabilities and uses an advanced caching system to enhance security while minimizing its impact on loading times and page performance.

Stripe Payment Gateway and Subscriptions

### 2. [Stripe Payment Gateway and Subscriptions](https://marketplace.magento.com/magenest-module-stripe.html)

While Magento has support for some built-in payment gateways out of the box, like PSiGate and Braintree, you may want to choose your own payment processor — especially if you have access to one that your customers are sure to recognize and trust.

[Stripe](https://marketplace.magento.com/magenest-module-stripe.html) is a great option.

Stripe is one of the world’s largest, most reputable and recognizable payment processing partners. (Not to mention its reasonable fees.) This extension is easy to integrate into any Magento installation, and allows you to accept payment from all major credit and debit cards, including Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover, Diner’s Club, Giropay and more. Stripe can also accept Apple and Google Pay, along with dozens of other payment methods.

It’s completely PCI/DSS compliant, which helps you control your liability, and enhances security with CVC/AVS verification on all payments.

And if you’re ready to tap into new markets? Stripe will even help you expand your international customer base, as it supports a total of 25 countries and 130 different currencies for purchases.



LiveChat

### 3. [LiveChat](https://marketplace.magento.com/livechat-module-magento-livechat.html)

Believe it or not, the concept of live chat has been around since 1998.

And although many technologies have come and gone, live chat is still around and continues to thrive. And for good reason: 

- [75% of customers](https://techjury.net/stats-about/live-chat/) prefer to use live chat over other communication options, like email, contact forms, and phone calls.
- [79% of businesses](https://www.kayako.com/live-chat-software/statistics) say that live chat has had a positive effect on revenue, sales, and customer loyalty

It’s very simple.

Consumers are [more likely to trust a business](https://www.oberlo.com/blog/ecommerce-statistics-guide-your-strategy) when it’s easy to contact a live person at the company.

Funny how in our digital age, speaking to a human is still a high priority. So much so, there’s a [website](https://gethuman.com/) dedicated to providing customer service phone numbers where you can speak to a human.

If you want to integrate a live chat function into your website (and you should), the [LiveChat](https://marketplace.magento.com/livechat-module-magento-livechat.html) Magento extension is a great choice. It will instantly make your site appear more legitimate and trustworthy, helping you increase customer satisfaction and conversions.

LiveChat has been designed to be lightweight and easy to use. It integrates natively with third-party apps and CRM databases like Google Analytics, SalesForce, and Hubspot.


Best of all, with its secure, encrypted design, all of your customer’s messages are safe and their private information is protected.



Advanced FAQ by FMEextensions

### 4. [Advanced FAQ by FMEextensions](https://marketplace.magento.com/fme-module-advance-faq.html)

FAQs are an often overlooked but powerful tool for building trust and allows customers to get answers to common questions without having to contact a customer service representative.

When used properly, they can [boost SEO](https://ecommerceguide.com/guides/website-faqs/), sales, and help you demonstrate your expertise.

While you can always build your own FAQ templates, the [Advanced FAQ extension by FMEextensions](https://marketplace.magento.com/fme-module-advance-faq.html) is a powerful tool that allows you to build high-quality FAQ pages quickly and easily.

It comes with 5 different themes, support for multiple topics and sections, searchable FAQs, and SEO tools which help you optimize your FAQs for SEO.

With a simple WYSIWYG editor, you can quickly create sophisticated, attractive FAQ pages, even if you have no web development experience.

Trustpilot Reviews Extension for Magento

### 5. [Trustpilot Reviews Extension for Magento](https://marketplace.magento.com/trustpilot-module-reviews.html)

When it comes to building trust and social proof for eCommerce, the most important tool is to integrate online reviews into your store. [84% of people](https://www.inc.com/craig-bloem/84-percent-of-people-trust-online-reviews-as-much-.html) trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family. [90% of people read online reviews](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanerskine/2017/09/19/20-online-reputation-statistics-that-every-business-owner-needs-to-know/#519013c4cc5c) before making a purchase, and [97% of customers](https://fanandfuel.com/no-online-customer-reviews-means-big-problems-2017/) say that online reviews are a key factor when shopping online.

We can’t stress this enough: online reviews are critical to the success of your business.

This is one area where you have to nail it. No skimping. No cheapo, no-name solution.

There are many choices, but [Trustpilot is an industry leader](https://www.techradar.com/best/best-online-reputation-management-services) in customer reviews, listed alongside Google My Business, Yelp and Facebook.

The Magento extension is available for any Trustpilot user (including those on the free tier), with tools to automatically invite customers to leave service and product reviews, invite your past customers, and a drag-and-drop feature to showcase reviews on your website with just a few clicks. 

The biggest value is arguably for a business to display a high Trustpilot ranking directly on its website.

[Ace Exhibits](https://www.aceexhibits.com/) capitalizes on the feature big-time directly on their homepage:

Ace Exhibits uses Trustpilot reviews on site

This helps to reassure potential new customers that the business is indeed worthy of their attention, and can deliver when it comes to customer service.

Trustpilot also supports seller ratings extensions with Google, Bing, and Yahoo, which can help boost traffic and conversions, as well as social sharing on websites like Twitter, Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Because customer reviews come from verified purchases, this means that Trustpilot ratings carry a particular weight. This is all the more important as Google may display Trustpilot ratings with a business website listing in Google searches.

If you upgrade to a paid subscription, you can get even more tools like a powerful analytics dashboard, integration with software suites such as Zendesk, as well as Hootsuite and Facebook, SEO tools, and embedded forms which allow you to collect online reviews even more quickly.

## Build a Trusted Magento Store

Thanks to the open-source nature of Magento and the thousands of extensions available, it’s never been easier to build a trusted online store.

With these five extensions, you can gather online reviews, secure customer information, build social proof, and provide better customer service.

That all adds up to more conversions, more sales, and more profits – so if you’re ready to take your eCommerce store to the next level, consider checking out a few of these extensions today.

__And if you want to learn more about *all* of the ways you can use Trustpilot reviews?__ 

We have just the thing. Don't miss our Complete Guide to Reviews below. 

__Author Bio:__ *Dovid Rotshtein, Marketing Manager at 121eCommerce*

[121eCommerce](https://www.121ecommerce.com/) is an eCommerce development agency specializing in both B2B and B2C eCommerce. They are a Magento Certified Professional Partner with a proven track record of Magento 2 launches, project rescues and complex website builds. With a knack for quick communication, detailed reporting, and a friendly staff, they offer a full stack of Magento services to drive your online growth.

5 Must-have Magento extensions to build a trusted online store

A woman sitting on a bed in front of a camera

micro influencer marketing

This is where you leverage related brands that already have followers to promote your products for you. Unlike the old way of promotion that requires you to acquire backlinks for your website, influencer marketing is about getting the trust of your target market so that they buy from you. Because of this, influencer marketing turns out to be more effective because it uses the trust that the influencer has already built for you.

However, when people talk about influencer marketing, they usually talk about big influencers with millions of followers. While getting these people to promote you may seem ideal, it is not the easiest thing to do. In worse cases, you’ll find that these influencers will ask for a hefty amount with just one promotion. This is good if you have a budget for it. But if you are a small ecommerce website owner, you may want to promote to micro influencers instead. 

## Who are micro influencers?

Micro influencers are influencers with about 1,000 to 99,000 followers. They are called ‘micro’ because their follower number is lower than the others. Because of this, some marketers dismiss the idea of promoting to them for it seems that there is not much reach. But actually, it is far more effective. Here’s the thing. While these influencers have a relatively low number of followers, these followers are carefully filtered from the crowd. Usually, it is because the influencer is working in an ultra-targeted niche so the followers that he gets are fewer. In any case, the number may seem small but the response may still be great. 

NOTE: Research is very important in micro influencer marketing. While you may get some good promotion with a few but highly responsive followers. You’ll find that this is quite rare unless you do your research. More than the number of followers and the content, you should also look at content engagements in their website and social media channels. This will give you an idea of their audience response rate.

## Why eCommerce business owners need micro influencers

Ecommerce website owners can benefit from micro influencers because of three things: recommendations, traffic and sales.

__They need recommendations__

Ecommerce website owners are in constant need for recommendations. This can come as a simple product review, a comment on the page or a full product testimonial. They need this to establish trust with their target market. It shows that their product is not only ‘effective’ or ‘legit’. It also shows that people are buying from them and they are delivering. Plus, it can even show that they have [excellent customer support](https://www.osifeedback.com/blog/how-to-deliver-excellent-support/).  

But there is something special about micro influencer recommendations. More than a simple comment or paragraph, influencers usually go out of their way to give an in-depth review of the product. The depth will depend on the product. A skincare product, for example, will require a review of its overall feel and consistency, how it is applied and how it improved the skin after X amount of days. A book, on the other hand, may require some key points learned from the book. As you can see, the type of review depends on the product. But its depth is usually deeper compared to the normal reviews that an ecommerce website owner can get from his customers. 

__They need traffic__

Traffic is the lifeblood of most ecommerce websites. It thrives on traffic, hates [shopping cart abandonment](https://www.osiaffiliate.com/blog/10-ecommerce-tools-to-prevent-shopping-cart-abandonment/) and it needs it in order to make some sales. If the site has a certain conversion rate (say, 20%), it needs a specific amount of visitors to hit a particular sales mark. So if you are targeting a $1000 sale per day with a product that costs $100 and your product page converts at 10%, you’ll need at least 100 highly targeted visitors to reach that mark. 

The keyword here is ‘highly targeted’. Just because your page has a particular conversion rate doesn’t mean that it can hit it with more traffic. Junk traffic is useless and can even drive your conversion rates lower. What you’ll want is highly relevant traffic from your niche and influencers can help you with that.

__They need sales__

An online store can only continue once it gets some sales. In fact, ecommerce website owners are on the constant lookout for ways to improve their sales. Influencer marketing can help you with this because their audience is not only highly relevant to your products and services. They also trust the influencer enough to act on his recommendation. This action is what makes an influencer who he is. He is an attractive product promoter because of his capability to influence decisions and actions of his target market. 


## How to reach micro influencers

Getting micro influencers to promote you is not that hard. It will not be as difficult as getting big time influencers to promote you. In fact, it is incredibly simple and can be done in three simple steps. 

__1. Create a list__

It starts with a list. I am not talking about an email list. What I am talking about is a spreadsheet that has the names of all of your target influencers along with their contact information. Usually, I start with Google. I use it to search for blogs in my topic. This allows me to uncover some influencers in the niche. 

Next, I also look at some social channels. Depending on your niche, you may always to look at Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube. There are some influencers that are solely using those social channels for their content. 

Once I find some names, I put them on a spreadsheet. Beside it, I put the following columns: website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Email. I then try to fill everything up by researching their contact information on Google. For the email, you may need some tools. I like to use FindThatLead to uncover and verify influencer emails before I add them to my spreadsheet. 

__2. Find a way to reach out__

Once you have all the contact information that you need, you need to formulate a strategy on how you can reach out. Many ecommerce website owners make the mistake of simply reaching out without a reason. In worse cases, they even use a template. Don’t do this. Influencers hate this. Instead, look at the influencers content and get a feel of what they want and what their content is all about. If you approach them with that, they will be more likely to reply. 

NOTE: I know that this approach may be more tedious than sending an email template. But I found that there is a greater chance of getting a reply if you do this. Think about it. Will you reply to an email that seemed to be sent automatically? I don’t think so. We live in a world where people are already so used to getting emails from brands they don’t know. Don’t be that brand. Stand out by building your relationship with the influencer first. Yes. This will take time. But it is worth it in the end. 

__3. Offer the micro influencer something in return__

Once you manage to build a relationship with the influencer, it is time to offer him or her something in return. You just can’t ask him or her to promote you. That is like asking for a freebie. If you do this, then influencer will just ignore you. 

## Common way to ask for promotion - ask them for product feedback

One of the most common ways to get an influencer to promote you is to ask for their feedback. In here, all you need to do is ask for the influencer’s address or PO box and send your item to them. From there, the influencer is free to try your products and comment on it. 

NOTE: This doesn’t work by simply sending items to all influencers that you have researched. The product must be relevant to the niche and ideals of the influencer for this to work. For example, an organic product would be a good match to a vegan influencer. As mentioned, you should read or watch their content before sending them anything.

## Creative ways to get micro influencers to promote you

Fortunately, there are several ways to get micro influencers to promote you. Below are some of the methods that worked for me. 

__Host a contest__

Influencers love to be noticed. And if that recognition comes with prizes, they will be happy to oblige. This is the reason why promotion contests are quite common in joint venture launches. It is the thrill of being noticed along with winning a prize. 

__Feature them__

As I have told you, micro influencers love to be noticed. Most of them are still in the process of building their brand. They need all the help they can get to spread the news about their names and what they do. If your ecommerce website already have a list of visitors or buyers, you can offer to feature them in your newsletter, email or other forms of content in exchange for their promotion. 

PRO TIP: Here’s a secret technique. You can always feature an influencer without asking for their permission. If his content is relevant to your niche, you can go ahead and feature him and just email him about it afterwards. He will be thrilled. 

__Include them in your experts list__

A creative way to feature influencers is to create an experts list. This is where you tackle a topic by taking quotes from various micro influencers. With this type of list, more is always better. In fact, I would recommend having at least 20 micro influencers in the list. 

Once you have your content up, all you need to do is contact each one and tell them about what you have done. This will give them the go signal to promote you in their social channels. 

NOTE: This works because it plays with the human nature of returning favors. Since you featured them without asking for anything in return, they are more than happy to promote you afterwards.

__Collaborate on a product or service__

Influencers love having their names on everything. And it is not so much for the ego boost. It is more for the brand promotion. The more people that sees their brand, the more people they can help. Most influencers have an advocacy to change the world in their own little way. They can only do that with enough promotion. 

In creative niches, you can collaborate with an influencer to create a brand new product. I have seen celebrities create cosmetics and models create their own clothing collection. It is a way to work with the influencer directly and let them influence the products that you are selling.

This works because the promotion is automatic. If the influencer took the time to create a new product, he or she would be excited to share it with his or her followers. So the sharing is automatic. You don’t even have to ask them to promote you. 

## Contact a Micro Influencer Now

Are you using [influencer marketing](https://www.omnistartell.com/blog/best-influencer-software/) to promote your ecommerce business? If not, you are clearly missing out on the truckloads of traffic and sales that comes with this method. The best part is that you don’t have to pay expensive fees just to get a promotion. Micro influencers allow you to tap influencers that have a lower number of followers but have almost the same influencer. In [micro influencer marketing](https://www.ecommercemarketingpodcast.com/best-shopify-marketing-apps/), it is all a numbers game. Your goal should be to get as many micro influencers to promote your business. Companies such as [Hunting Bow Lab](https://www.huntingbowlab.com/) have reported a 30% increase in sales after starting in influencer marketing program.

However, promoting to micro influencers requires some strategy and tact. You can’t just go out and give product samples for the fun of it. You should learn to build relationships before promoting anything. You need to show them that you are not merely asking them to promote your products. Instead, you are working towards changing the world like he does and you would really appreciate his help. With that, it makes promotion less of a chore and more of an advocacy. This is what micro influencers love. 


Find out more about Trustpilot and review management strategies. Download our complete guide to reviews below.







__Author Bio:__
Arlen Robinson is the co-founder and VP of Business Development at OSI Affiliate Software.
He is also the host of The Ecommerce Marketing Podcast where he discusses marketing strategies with experts from all over the world.

Why any eCommerce business can take advantage of micro-influencer marketing

User-generated content can help you through testimonials, reviews, videos, social media photos, discussions, blogs and more - all created by existing customers, and publicly available to other consumers. Here are four amazing examples.

User-generated content helps consumers buy a product or subscribe to a service they will most likely enjoy based on the “wisdom of the crowd”.

The degree to which user-generated content affects customers can be a result of the number of people promoting the business or product. The more, the merrier. 

User-generated content describes marketing through any of the following forms of content: testimonials, reviews, videos, photos, discussions, blogs and more - all created by existing customers, and publicly available to other consumers.

Recent research shows that UGC is considered to be [50%](https://www.adweek.com/digital/millennials-trust-user-generated-content-50-traditional-media-infographic/) more trustworthy than traditional marketing. No wonder savvy companies such as Daniel Wellington, Lululemon or GoPro have already started encouraging the creation and promotion of social proof through user-generated content on their marketing channels.

If you’re not leveraging UGC as much as you'd like, keep on reading…

## Let your customers tell the story with user-generated content

### 1. GoPro’s Instagram campaign

With 65% of consumers admitting that they evaluate information that is shared on social media before buying, you wouldn’t want to miss out, would you?

Your customers are your best marketers. Encourage them to share more by creating hashtags on social media...you might be surprised at just how much people like to share!

GoPro’s social channels are a great example of user-generated content marketing. Their [brand advocates](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/your-guide-to-customer-advocacy-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important) are being encouraged to share “cool” content using #GoPro to be featured on the famous brand’s Instagram feed. GoPro then picks a new customer photo every day. 

Here’s an example:


GoPro user-generated content example

### 2. Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign
 
Apple’s #ShotOnIphone campaign is one of the most successful [user-generated content](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-to-use-user-generated-content-marketing-to-reach-and-convert-millennials) campaigns out there. The technology giant encouraged existing customers to showcase their amazing photography skills using nothing but their iPhones.

This campaign was launched after Apple noticed a lot of iPhone users were disappointed in the camera’s quality. To tackle this, Apple leveraged user-generated content to prove people wrong, give real-life proof to potential customers out there, and make existing customers feel part of a brand community.

Here’s a billboard from Apple’s ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign:


shot-on-iphone user generated content example

### 3. MZ Wallace’s #CarryYourDay campaign

MZ Wallace prides itself on creating comfortable, lightweight, spacious and organised every-day bags for commuters, parents, travelers and everyone else. 

Their social media strategy completely relies on user-generated content. The brand asks its customers to post photos of their bags on social media, using the hashtag #CarryYourday. MZ Wallace then shares the best shots with their audience, both on their feed and Instagram Stories. By turning regular customers into brand advocates through their Instagram community, MZ Wallace is reducing consumer doubt and increasing the "want" factor.


mz wallace user generated content campaign

mz wallace user generated content example

### 4. Smarty’s review campaign

Smarty is a mobile network that offers a discount on data that hasn’t been used. They let their amazing 3,000+ reviews on Trustpilot (and 8.8/10 score!) speak for themselves by leveraging their customers’ reviews on all channels.

Today, 54% of respondents will visit a website after reading positive reviews, and [92%](https://www.vendasta.com/blog/50-stats-you-need-to-know-about-online-reviews) of consumers read online reviews. This statement alone should be enough for companies to start putting more effort into leveraging online reviews as user-generated content. 

That’s why Smarty uses the Trustpilot integration to share UGC on Facebook, and retweets customer testimonials on Twitter too. Leveraging reviews as user-generated content allows them to [build trust throughout the customer journey](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/a-beginner-guide-to-building-brand-loyalty-with-user-generated-content).


Smarty community of customer advocates and user-generated content

smarty community of customer advocates user generated content

Third-party review platforms like Trustpilot are more recognised and trusted by consumers because other customers’ feedback can not be edited or deleted by companies, which makes every single review on there completely authentic, and therefore more reliable and credible. Sharing existing customers’ feedback also creates a community of brand advocates, which is a great way to start putting more effort into your user-generated content strategy.


Smarty customer reviews user generated content

## Getting started with user-generated content

Leveraging user-generated content will allow you to engage with existing customers, and turn them into brand advocates in order to build new, trusted relationships with future customers.

Allowing customers to tell your brand story will also improve loyalty, and create a great brand community. Remember - your customers’ stamp of approval means a lot more than your self-proclaimed excellence from a consumer's point of view!

*Are you ready to apply UGC to your business?*

Download Trustpilot's free report below, and find out what impact leveraging reviews as UGC could have on your marketing results.

May 2019 - Sirkin x Trustpilot report

user generated content examples wisdom of crowd

4 Great examples of user-generated content

3 Reasons Why You Really Need to Get More Reviews

Unlike some other digital marketing tactics, you won’t face diminishing returns when it comes to social proof like customer reviews. You can never have too many — and in fact, the more customer reviews you have, the better.

And the reality is that when your customers have 24/7 internet access in their pockets, online reviews can make or break your brand reputation. 

If your business is just entering the world of online reviews, it’s a great time to take stock of your company’s online reputation — because everyday, someone searches for your business online. What’s the first thing a potential customer sees when they type the name of your business into Google? 

If you don’t have any customer reviews yet, consider how the absence of reviews might come off to those searching for your business online. 

And if you already have some reviews, you might want to ask yourself, *what is my business known for?* 

*And how many customer reviews have been published about my business or products altogether?*

## Why every business benefits from collecting more reviews

Simply put, collecting reviews is mutually beneficial to both businesses and consumers. Today, customers all but require some form of [social proof](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/what-is-social-proof-and-why-is-it-important-for-marketing) to help them make a confident purchasing decision. And for businesses, creating a feedback loop with customer reviews is like stepping on the fast track to getting better in the key areas your customers care about. 

Because of this symbiotic relationship within the purchasing ecosystem, the power of reviews is only picking up speed. 

And unlike some other business tactics, you won’t face diminishing returns when it comes to customer reviews. The beauty of them is that you can never have too many — and in fact, [the more customer reviews you have, the better](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/more-is-better-why-review-quantity-matters). 

Although there are many, let’s unpack three key reasons why collecting more reviews results in a positive ripple effect for your business. 

## 1. Social proof: showing off your reviews is the best way to build credibility with new and existing customers

Customers today are more knowledgeable than ever, and that means it can be more challenging for businesses to win them over. In fact, skepticism around businesses is on the rise, with [54% of consumers](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/5-online-reputation-management-strategies-for-driving-brand-trust) stating that they feel little trust towards brands. 

Enter social proof, a phenomenon as old as marketing itself — and if you’ve ever uttered the phrase “safety in numbers”, you already get it. Defined by [BigCommerce](https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/ecommerce-answers/what-is-social-proof/) as any form of proof (such as verified customer reviews) that other people have made a choice to partake in a product or service, social proof encourages other consumers to follow suit with the knowledge that they’re not alone in their decision. 

Showcasing social proof like positive reviews (along with any [negative reviews](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-to-respond-to-negative-reviews) that you promptly and graciously responded to) quickly builds confidence in any new customer who lands on your site. Whether or not every single review of your business is glowing, simply knowing that other consumers have tried out your business can be enough to turn an online browser into a repeat customer.

So, what should this look like in practice? For best results, we recommend displaying customer reviews [across the entire customer journey](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-flinders-use-reviews-to-build-trust-throughout-the-customer-journey), because...

## 2. Growing your bottom line: online reviews boost conversions throughout the entire marketing funnel

As far as most consumers are concerned, companies’ [advertising claims aren’t as compelling as they once were](https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/can-online-reviews-revive-consumer-trust-in-advertising). This makes it challenging to get through to your customers at the early stages of their journey towards checkout, when they might still be considering other brands.

Fortunately, your business’ star rating can cut through the noise as [a highly trusted advertising claim](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/why-87-of-consumers-find-ads-more-trustworthy-with-trustpilot), and print and digital media are the perfect vehicle for showing off that trust symbol. The more reviews you have, the stronger the effect of the social proof at play, so focus on collecting reviews as creative fodder for your next campaign.

Here are a few great ways you can lead with trust at different stages of the marketing funnel:

Whether it’s on organic social, using the Trustpilot [image generator](https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/115010415047-Style-review-content-with-images-and-share-it-on-social-media) to highlight a positive review like [Luxaflex](https://www.luxaflex.com.au/), an online retailer of blinds and window coverings.


Luxaflex example of Trustpilot use on social media

Luxaflex Uses Social Proof on Organic Social

Or showing off a Trustscore at the end of a TV spot like [Smarty](https://smarty.co.uk/), a super simple mobile phone service provider in the UK. 


Smarty uses social proof in a TV ad

Or as the hero image in a promotional email, like [Mindful Chef](https://www.mindfulchef.com/), a healthy meal subscription service.


Mindful chef Marketing Email

But it doesn’t stop there. We’ve seen companies like [Dashlane](https://www.dashlane.com/), an online password management service, use customer testimonials to instill trust on targeted landing pages. 


Dashlane customer testimonials on landing page

And [Canvas Factory](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-canvas-factory-builds-trust-with-customers), a custom photo printing site, works reviews right into the design of their homepage, product pages, and checkout pages.


Trustpilot social proof on the website of CanvasFactory

Canvas Factory customer reviews on home page

Canvas Factory customer reviews on product pages

Customer reviews front and center on Canvas Factory's checkout page 

trustpilot cart canvas factory

Adding reviews and testimonials to the final step in the customer journey is perhaps the most critical for overall conversion rate optimization, because third party trust indicators are the last line of defense for removing any shadow of a doubt about your customers' purchase.

## 3. Standing out in search with user generated content

[User generated content is a great way to stand out from the competition](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-ugc/248221/#close), because it organically creates fresh and relevant content about your brand, products, or services. Imagine that you’ve signed up on a third party review platform and can passively gather 20 reviews per week. Then consider how difficult it would be to update your site with fresh content 20 times each week to get an equally positive effect.

Sharing what your customers are saying on site is a scalable way to keep your online presence fresh without draining your internal resources. 

Better yet, customer reviews provide a window into the exact language your customers are actively using to describe your products or services, and these words also reflect how they search for your business online. Including user generated content on your site helps your business naturally rank for these kinds of [long tail keywords](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-long-tail-keywords/204482/), capturing warm search intent for customers seeking out the exact characteristics of your products or services. 

## The growing importance of customer reviews

The reasons why businesses should prioritize getting more reviews [go on and on](https://theweek.com/articles/770712/enormous-influence-online-reviews), but perhaps most importantly, reviews give customers a direct line of communication with businesses, and businesses a chance to get better where it matters. 

If you’re ready to get closer to your customers, download Trustpilot's free Complete Guide to reviews below, and learn how review marketing can help you grow your business.



3 Reasons why you really need to get more reviews

Trustpilot x Kooomo the rise of belief-driven buying

As brands fight to keep up with customer expectations, a movement has been building momentum: belief-driven buying. Here's how to use your online reputation to show what your business stands for and help conscious consumers choose principle over product. 

And as retailers and brands fight to keep up with customer demand and protect their online reputation, a movement has been rapidly building momentum, and it’s one that brands can’t afford to turn a blind eye to. That is, belief-driven buying. 

### Why standing for something is essential to protect your brand’s online reputation

65% of global consumers are making belief-driven purchases - that’s a 50% increase on 2017 figures, as found by Edelman in its [2018 Earned Brand report](https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2018-10/2018_Edelman_Earned_Brand_Global_Report.pdf). In fact, there wasn’t a single market surveyed by the world’s largest PR firm, where they found that consumers weren’t making purchasing decisions based on a brand’s mission.

### So what exactly is belief-driven buying?

And why is it so important for brands to start taking a stand in order to protect their reputation?

Quite simply, more and more consumers are effectively voting with their wallets. Choosing principle over product. Being loyal to the brands that align with their own beliefs and values and shunning the ones that don’t. 

Take Nike, for example. When the brand’s now infamous Colin Kaepernick’ campaign launched in September 2018, with the tagline “*Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything*” (referencing the football player’s kneeling protest during the US National Anthem), [sales increased by over 30%](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/08/colin-kaepernick-nike-ad-sales-up).

Now, you might be thinking ‘great - but that’s Nike, a brand with a multi-million-dollar marketing budget, not to mention PR and crisis management teams at the ready. Nike can withstand controversy.’ But what about smaller businesses? By making a bold statement, you risk alienating the customer base that you’ve spent so much time (not to mention, money) building up, right?

Well, you’d be forgiven for wanting to take the ‘*never talk about politics, religion, or money in mixed company*’ stance when it comes to your business, but on the other hand, [60% of consumers](https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2018-10/2018_Edelman_Earned_Brand_Global_Report.pdf) want brands to make it easier for them to see its values and position on important issues at the point of sale. Oh, and belief-driven buying isn’t something that you can chalk down to being a trend amongst millennials either. The [35-54 consumer age bracket](https://www.edelman.com/earned-brand) are just as interested in buying based on principle as their 18-34 counterparts. And those aged 55 and up are moving swiftly in that direction too, with a reported 18% increase in belief-focused buying from 2017. 

Clearly, playing it safe is no longer an option. But how exactly can brands start to weave their beliefs into everything they do? 

Not an easy feat, by any stretch of the imagination! However, there are ultimately three vital things to keep in mind when protecting your online reputation:

1. Being a purpose-driven brand does not have to mean being a controversial brand 
2. Authenticity is key
3. If you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk

So, why does your brand exist (aka why did you go into business in the first place)? Was it to solve a problem? Was it to make a difference in people’s lives? What is your company’s mission - what constitutes ‘moving the dial’ for your business? (Besides profit, obviously.) 

These are the things that you should be talking to your audience about. While it’s always useful to know who your existing customer base is, this is really all about looking inward. Not looking for a cause that might resonate with your audience and shouting about it from the rooftops. Quite the opposite, in fact. Look at what actually makes your brand tick, and your customers will undoubtedly fall into place from there. 

Protecting your online reputation through purpose-driven branding doesn’t necessarily have to be about making a bold statement against a corrupt politician, either. It could be about making a commitment to [reduce your packaging waste](https://blog.kooomo.com/3-ways-to-reduce-packaging-waste-and-the-eco-friendly-brands-to-learn-from/) by X% over a specific time period. Or maybe it’s through supporting local community initiatives, such as sport, education, etc.

Smoothie and juice company Innocent is a great example of this. The brand launched their ‘[big knit](http://www.thebigknit.ie/about)’ campaign in 2008, whereby novice and seasoned knitters around would create tiny wool hats to sit atop their juice bottles, and for each one sold, Innocent would donate 30 cents to Age Action. To date, they have raised over €150,000 in support of elderly communities in Ireland.

Another great instance of a brand taking a stand is US underwear and swimsuit brand: Aerie, who in 2014, vowed to stop retouching the models used in their campaigns, as well as feature women with all body types, from various religious backgrounds, and with different disabilities. The body-positivity movement has gone from strength to strength, with Aerie launching [#AerieREAL role models](http://blog.ae.com/2019/01/31/introducing-your-new-aeriereal-role-models/) in January 2019, recruiting 8 public figures from completely different walks of life to champion the brand and promote diversity and inclusion.

These brands clearly illustrate the three key essential elements of showcasing a purpose-driven brand. They aren’t controversial for the sake of it. They are authentic. And, most importantly...they talk the talk.

Because there’s no doubt about it - there is an immense opportunity for retailers to capitalise on belief-driven buying in order to protect their online reputation. This means it’s inevitable that many brands will try to cut corners and hop on the trendiest, or seemingly most-lucrative bandwagon to convert as many new customers as possible. But as with most things in this life, the cream rises to the top, and while retention is something that can often be bought, loyalty, on the other hand is something that must be earned.

Simply put, your brand must live its beliefs. Imagine if Innocent didn’t have any employees over the age of 30, or Aerie only hired 5’8’’ models to work in their bricks and mortar stores? Remember, talk is cheap, so if your company is going to lean into a more purpose-driven approach, your brand beliefs have to ooze from every nook and cranny of your entire organisation - from operations, to customer services, to marketing, and everything in between.

While there are undoubtedly challenges that come with adopting a purpose-first strategy for your business, it really isn’t a question of weighing up the pros and cons. By tapping into the ‘why’ of your brand, you have a real opportunity to not only strengthen your existing customer base, but also to resonate with a brand new one.

__So, are you ready to stand for something? __

Find out more about review strategies, download Trustpilot's free Complete Guide to Reviews below.

__Author:__
Michelle McSweeney, Content Marketing Manager at [Kooomo](https://www.kooomo.com/en). Kooomo works with clients to maximise all digital sales channels globally by combining their expertise and a next-generation platform in a proven and affordable digital commerce cloud solution. 


The rise of belief-driven buying: 3 Ways to protect your online reputation

5 online reputation management strategies for driving brand trust

How can we as marketers establish a trustworthy brand? The answer is through better, more trustworthy content. Here are 5 online reputation management strategies to drive brand trust through content marketing.

In fact, [54% of customers say they don’t trust brands.](https://www.bopdesign.com/bop-blog/2015/10/15-crazy-branding-stats/)

So, how can we as marketers establish a trustworthy brand? The answer is surprisingly simple: create better, more trustworthy content.

Think about it this way ― establishing a trusted brand begins with how you communicate as a business. And, in many cases, companies communicate via marketing content. If that content sends the wrong message, misses the mark, or leaves a prospect or customer with a bad impression of your business, it can be extremely difficult to get back in their good graces.

For this reason, it’s a great idea to start off on the right foot. Today we teach you five subtle yet creative reputation management strategies to help you win over customers with each piece of content you create. Let’s get into it!

## 1. Prioritize storytelling.

Put yourself in the consumer’s position and consider what type of online marketing content resonates with you. What was the last marketing campaign you bought into? No matter what advertisement, brand, or campaign comes to mind, there’s a good chance it features several basic elements of storytelling.

When it comes to marketing content, storytelling is the most effective tactic to evoke an emotional response. A narrative complete with real human perspectives and relatable scenarios will facilitate trust much quicker than traditional boilerplate content. In fact, neuro-imagery shows that when evaluating brands, [consumers primarily rely on emotions](https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/inside-the-consumer-mind/201302/how-emotions-influence-what-we-buy) rather than factual information to make a decision.

Any brand, regardless of the products and services they offer, can tell compelling stories in their content. Here are a few brand storytelling methods that are guaranteed to drive more trust in your brand:

- __Tell your customers’ stories:__ Showing off your customers’ positive experience with your business is one of the best ways to improve your online reputation. Create in-depth testimonials and success stories where specific customers are the subjects of the narrative. Allow your audience to see firsthand what they can achieve by working with you.

- __Tell the story of your employees:__ Showcase your employees and company culture to humanize your brand. And don’t just limit their stories to the careers page of your website. Leverage social media, your blog, and other channels to show off your employees. For example, you could run an “Employee of the Month” video series that highlights a specific employee, their accomplishments, personal hobbies and more.

- __Tell your company’s story:__ Although it’s a great idea to always make the customer the hero of your story, don’t be afraid to share a little about yourself. How and why was your company started? What values does your company hold as most important? Create content that gives your audience a peek behind the curtain and tracks the evolution of your company, all the way from an idea to a successful business.

Storytelling doesn’t require a major change to your online reputation management strategy, as it can exist in any form of marketing content. The next time you approach a piece of content, ask yourself: “How can I tell a story with this topic?” This small change in your approach can result in more engaging, emotionally resonant, and trustworthy content.

## 2. Create interactive content.

Modern technology has changed content marketing in a number of ways — the most exciting of which is the introduction of [interactive content](https://blog.zoominfo.com/types-of-interactive-content/?utm_source=guestpost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=trustpilot). For those who aren’t familiar, interactive content is designed to facilitate audience participation. The most obvious benefit of interactive content is increased engagement, as [81% of marketers](https://www.klick.com/health/news/blog/insights/81-of-marketers-say-that-interactive-content-grabs-attention/) agree that interactive content grabs attention more effectively than static content. It’s also super shareable, and when content heads your way from a [trusted friend in your personal network](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/your-guide-to-customer-advocacy-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important), the content itself feels more trustworthy.

But, interactive content itself can also drive brand trust. Think of it this way: a traditional piece of content requires a passive audience. Readers might scroll through a blog post or press play on a video, but there’s no telling how engaged and invested they are. On the other hand, interactive content empowers your audience. By making them active participants, you facilitate a stronger connection between your audience and your brand.

While many brands achieve success with interactive infographics and “choose-your-own-adventure” style videos, interactive content doesn’t require fancy AI and complex technology. Quizzes, pricing calculators, and online contests are all great ways to involve your audience in the content you offer.

In order to successfully facilitate trust through interactive content, remember to always offer value. The success of this tactic hinges how well you’re able to personalize the end result or experience-- thus leaving no doubt in your customer’s mind that this particular piece of content is trustworthy because it was built specifically for them.

## 3. Encourage user generated content.

As much as it hurts to admit, we can see why modern customers don’t trust marketers. After all, marketers have a clear motive. For this reason, one of the best online reputation management strategies is leveraging the words, photos, and content of others — through [user-generated content](https://blog.zoominfo.com/user-generated-content/?utm_source=guestpost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=trustpilot).

User-generated content (UGC) is content related to your brand and products created by users or customers who have no professional affiliation with your company. Because UGC is created by your audience, for your audience, it’s a more effective trust-builder than traditional content. Consider these statistics:

- User-generated product [reviews are trusted 12 times more](http://www.cio.com/article/2914780/e-commerce/12-ways-to-improve-the-customer-experience-for-online-shoppers.html) than promotional marketing content.
- [51% of consumers](http://resources.bazaarvoice.com/rs/bazaarvoice/images/201202_Millennials_whitepaper.pdf) trust user-generated content over information on your brand’s website.
- [92% of consumers](https://resources.crowdriff.com/blog/21-user-generated-content-stats-you-need-to-know) trust word-of-mouth more than any type of advertising.

Despite the benefits of user-generated content, only [16% of brands have a UGC strategy](http://www.adweek.com/digital/why-consumers-share-user-generated-content-infographic/) in place. Here are some tips to encourage your audience to create and share content related to your brand.

- __Leverage social listening:__ Good news — there’s plenty of user-generated content that already exists. Practice [social listening](https://blog.zoominfo.com/the-b2b-marketers-guide-to-social-listening/?utm_source=guestpost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=trustpilot) tactics such as tracking mentions, branded hashtags, and tagged photos to uncover the opinions people express about your company on social media. You’ll likely find a number of photos, reviews and positive comments you can immediately share with the rest of your audience.

- __Repurpose survey results:__ [Customer feedback](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-to-turn-reviews-into-referrals-and-ultimately-more-sales) is not only essential to improve and grow your business, but it can also provide the framework for valuable content. Incorporate product feedback or customer surveys into your marketing content in the form of testimonials, quotes, promotional images, and more.

- __Host a contest or giveaway:__ You’ll receive more user-generated content if you provide an incentive. Create a contest or giveaway in which users receive prizes for posting content related to your brand or products.

The best part about user-generated content is that it doesn’t demand a lot of time and resources from your team. And, given its unique ability to drive brand trust, there’s no excuse not to prioritize UGC in both your online reputation management and content marketing strategies.



Learn how Trustpilot can help with user-generated content 

## 4. Leverage negative customer feedback.

Believe it or not, [negative customer feedback](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-to-respond-to-negative-reviews) can be just as valuable to your online reputation management strategy as glowing praise. Think about it — what’s the most trustworthy quality a brand can have? If you ask us, it’s transparency.

Customers want brands to admit when they make mistakes, fall short of expectations, or fail to execute an idea. Those are the qualities that make us human, and hiding your flaws is a quick way to lose trust and raise suspicion. Instead, learn to embrace your [negative reviews](https://blog.zoominfo.com/negative-business-review/?utm_source=guestpost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=trustpilot) and harsh feedback by turning them into content.

Here’s an example: let’s say you recently rolled out an updated version of your product, and this update got rid of a few features you deemed unnecessary. You receive negative feedback from customers who wish they’d been made more aware of these changes before installing the update.

Rather than ignore these criticisms, you include them in a newsletter you distribute to your entire customer base. You begin the email, “We missed the mark with your recent product update,” and proceed to explain what you’ll do differently moving forward.

This tactic may seem simple, but such gestures go a long way toward establishing your brand as transparent and trustworthy.

## 5. Map content to the buyer’s journey.

Our last tip to promote brand trust is more of a long term reputation management strategy than a one-off tactic, but it’s worth the effort. If you want your audience to trust your brand as a source of consistently valuable content, you should map your content to the individual stages of the buyer’s journey.

The needs of your prospects vary greatly throughout the course of the sales cycle. Meaning, they’ll respond to very different styles of content depending on where they are in their journey. For example, a prospect in the early stages of the buyer’s journey will be most interested in vendor-neutral content like blog posts and infographics. Conversely, someone towards the end of the buyer’s journey will respond better to more in-depth, product-specific content.

Align your content strategy to your buyer’s journey and you’ll ensure that you always deliver the right content to the right people at the right time. This consistency will show your audience that you genuinely understand their needs and interests and that you want to guide them through the buyer’s journey by providing valuable content.

For more information on creating a comprehensive content mapping strategy by reading the following post: [Content Mapping for Marketing Success](https://blog.zoominfo.com/content-mapping-marketing/?utm_source=guestpost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=trustpilot).

## Final Thoughts

Marketing professionals are often driven by results — constantly under pressure to prove that the content they create is contributing to the growth of their business. This pressure is often the root cause of the overly-promotional, deceptive marketing content we see online every day.

But remember, building trust is more important than achieving quick results. Clickbait might perform well in the short-term but it will ultimately diminish your brand’s authenticity and reliability. Earn the trust of your customers by offering valuable, authentic content — and the trust you earn will be the foundation for the long-term success of your business.

Find out more about online reputation management strategies, download Trustpilot's free Complete Guide to Reviews below.

## About the author

Sam Holzman is a Content Marketing Specialist at ZoomInfo where he writes for their B2B blog. ZoomInfo is a [leading contact database](https://www.zoominfo.com/?utm_source=guestpost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=trustpilot) that helps organizations accelerate growth and profitability. Sam regularly covers topics related to sales, marketing and recruiting, and likes to write about sports and travel in his free time.

Build a Trusted Brand