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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.

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Reviews - Build a Trusted Brand

Customers are more empowered than ever before, and choice isn’t really an issue for anyone looking to buy online. That’s why having a competitive advantage is huge, and customer experience is the perfect tool to help you stand out from your competitors.

Customer service shouldn't be just a department - customer service should be the entire company. Today, your consumers no longer compare products and prices only, but also service and [user experience](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/how-to-improve-customer-experience-on-your-website), which is why customer feedback has become an invaluable tool. 

Indeed, today, 92% of consumers read reviews to determine the quality of a business’s customer experience.

It’s important for businesses to embrace a customer-centric strategy, and stand out from the competition by making sure today’s customers become tomorrow’s brand advocates.

In this article, we’ll give you tips to start collecting customer feedback, and to make sure your customers are satisfied and happy, and leaving good customer service reviews.

## Here are 4 ways you can get good customer service reviews

### 1. Start by creating a great customer journey

We know what you’re thinking… easier said than done.

Creating a great experience can be challenging, but it is also extremely rewarding. Great experiences ensure customers will buy from you, and come back wanting more. Today, a superior experience is a valued and unique asset for any business. 

As Mike Sims, Founder of [ThinkLions](https://www.thinklions.com/), says: “People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did too. But they will never forget how you made them feel.”

The less time shoppers spend searching for what they need, the better. A great customer experience means your customers are less likely to come across a problem during their customer buying journey, which means you’re more likely to receive positive feedback and good customer service reviews.

Here are some ways you can create a great customer journey:

- Stay consistent: your customers should be presented with the same branding, information and tone of voice on all channels.
- Understand the different stages of the journey, put yourself in your customers’ shoes and make sure you answer every question customers could have.
- Be transparent, accessible and approachable: offer support along the way, and showcase trust marks to build credibility.

### 2. Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews

Collecting customer feedback is one of the best ways to improve your customer service and experience. Direct feedback from existing customers will help you understand what your customers like and don’t like, what works, what should change, and how to do it. But we understand asking for feedback can be challenging. 

However, it’s important to keep in mind that asking for a review of your service will be perceived positively by customers. Indeed, you’re showing customers that you care about their satisfaction, and that you are constantly working towards ensuring potential customers are having a fantastic experience. 

Asking for reviews is necessary in developing your business in the first place, and therefore in getting good customer service reviews too.

Here are some different ways you can ask for customer feedback:

- Through an open and transparent third-party review platform like [Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/)
- By building review collection directly into your customer journey with an [embedded Trustpilot review form](https://business.trustpilot.com/features) right on your website 
- By setting up [automatic review invitations](https://business.trustpilot.com/features) so you can score a verified Trustpilot review each time a customer makes a purchase
- Starting a dialogue with your customers on conversational social platforms like Twitter and Facebook
- With customer satisfaction surveys using platforms like [SurveyMonkey](https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/customer-satisfaction-survey-template/) or [TypeForm](https://www.typeform.com/templates/t/customer-satisfaction/)

### 3. Don’t forget to put customers at the heart of your business

Customers are now being touched by hundreds of brands and adverts every day, so how can businesses build strong relationships with their consumers?

Making each one of your customers feel special and unique is key. Being customer-centric will send a positive message to shoppers: they are cared for and important to you.

Today, over 84% of consumers do not trust advertisements anymore - but [87% of people trust adverts more when they include a Trustpilot rating or logo](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/why-87-of-consumers-find-ads-more-trustworthy-with-trustpilot). 

Creating a community of customers can play an important role in your business’ success and growth strategy. By leveraging reviews, you’re showing visitors that you do care about your customers and their experience.

Encouraging user-generated content is also a great way to build communities of customers, and to create brand advocates. Existing, loyal customers who are put at the heart of the business and are part of a brand community are more willing to leave good customer service reviews.

### 4. Finally, use reviews as customer insights to learn and improve

If you think you’re delivering the best customer service and experience possible, but your customer service reviews do not reflect that - do not give up just yet! 

Yes, every business would rather have exclusively positive feedback, but unfortunately, that’s a pretty unrealistic goal. Instead, using your own customers’ feedback (both good and bad) to collect insights can help you improve your customer experience and increase your customers’ satisfaction. 

Identifying what works, what doesn’t, and which areas of the business require more development and efforts will help you collect more good customer service reviews in the long run.

*These 4 steps should help you get more good customer service reviews. We hope you found this article insightful, and we’d love to know what else helped your business get better service reviews. 

Tell us what worked for you! Tweet us at @Trustpilot using #onTheBlog, or download our newest report 'Bad reviews: Why people write them' and find out how you could improve your overall review strategy and use negative feedback to improve your customer service, innovate, and get more good customer service reviews in the long run.*


Banner Trustpilot report - All you need to know about bad reviews

May 2019 - Bad reviews report 

trustpilot getting good customer service reviews

A beginner’s guide to getting good customer service reviews

Octane-AI-Guest-Post

### A new way to gather reviews

Email has traditionally been the preferred method of getting feedback from customers, including reviews. However, over the last five years, email CTRs have experienced a 45% [decline](https://youtu.be/g9P4sYt8Ubg?t=430). __Conversely, there has been a 54% increase in the amount of time American consumers have spent using Facebook Messenger. __

Couple that increase with reports that 9 out of 10 consumers want to communicate with brands via messaging and a clear picture emerges: Messenger is an excellent platform through which brands can connect with customers and collect reviews.

People routinely filter out emails to spam folders or forget to mark their favorite brands as approved senders. __Connecting via Messenger reaches customers in a space they spend significant amounts of time__ and allows them to easily engage with your social media pages without navigating out of the Messenger window.

### Using Facebook Messenger to collect customer reviews

As with email, the most effective way to gather reviews with Messenger is through a follow-up message after product delivery. Depending on the product, it may make sense to send this message at different time intervals. For something that will be used immediately, like pet supplies or home goods, it could be sent a day after delivery. For something that a customer may not be able to make a snap judgment about, like shoes, it may pay to wait a week or two.

Reaching customers in their Messenger feeds allows them to very quickly type out an off-the-cuff review without being sent through multiple pages or being asked for an email. 

Yes, off-the-cuff is good! 

[Research at Northwestern](https://spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu/online-reviews/) revealed that customers are more likely to buy something that has a 4.2-4.5 rating rather than a 5-star rating. 

Customers want to read reviews that sound honest and real; perfect scores make customers suspicious. __Capturing honest, authentic reviews is easy through Messenger, a platform where people tend to be their honest, authentic selves.__

Once you’ve received reviews, you can send automated messages curated to the rating a customer has given. For great reviews, you can say thanks and invite happy customers to sign up for a newsletter. 

Not so great or even bad reviews present you with the opportunity to send a discount code or other special offer to make amends and retain a customer. These triggers are all familiar to email marketing but sending them through Messenger reaches customers in a platform they’re more actively using.

In a crowded market, ecommerce businesses need to take advantage of every opportunity to build credibility. Customer reviews are one of the best ways to achieve that goal. Traditional methods like email outreach and asking for reviews on your site itself are fine, but they’re falling behind more dynamic platforms like Facebook Messenger. 

__Consumers hold word-of-mouth as the most credible form of advertising.__ In the digital marketplace, Facebook Messenger is the best place to gather that honest word-of-mouth testimony. While you can start using Facebook Messenger to collect Trustpilot reviews manually, __keep in mind that manually collected reviews are considered unverified and don't count towards your Google Seller Ratings.__ 

And if automatic invitations via Facebook Messenger are what you're after,  __you can  use Trustpilot's API available on Enterprise accounts to get set up.__

Download Trustpilot's Complete Guide to Reviews below, and find out how customer reviews can help you grow your marketing efforts.



Download our complete guide to reviews

__About the Author__

__Ben Parr__ is the President and Co-founder of [Octane AI](https://www.octaneai.com/), the Messenger and bot platform for ecommerce. He is also the author of the best-selling book "Captivology: The Science of Capturing People's Attention". He sits on the board of directors of Samasource and the Lufthansa Airlines' advisory board, and is a columnist for Inc. Magazine. Previously, Ben was the Co-Editor and Editor-at-Large of Mashable. He is a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30.

An untapped channel for customer communication: Facebook Messenger

Today, the quantity of social proof like online reviews can have a significant impact on conversions and consumer behavior. Retailers benefiting from consumer feedback could see even better results by increasing their review volume.

In a world filled with decisions to make, reviews [help shoppers make the right decision](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-planet-of-the-vapes-uses-customer-reviews-in-their-ecommerce-strategy). Customer feedback can help people make smarter choices, and helps online retailers stand out from the rest of the competition.

In 2017, Moz attributed 13% of traffic value to online reviews (review quantity, review diversity, etc.), making customer feedback the 5th most important ranking factor.

Today, we’re seeing indications that the quantity of online reviews can have a significant impact on conversions and consumer behavior. Retailers benefiting from consumer feedback could see even better results by increasing their review volume.

Trustpilot encourages retailers to collect more reviews. While many businesses understand that the quality of their reviews is important, a lot of companies don’t realise that the number of reviews they get is just as powerful.

### Review quantity affects social proof, and your business’s reputation

When shopping online, consumers look for reviews in order to get an idea of a business’s reputation and customer service.


Shoppers tend to look for new, updated reviews that will indicate whether or not old issues have been resolved. Old, outdated reviews will continue to be shown when you don’t have new customer feedback coming in regularly. These old reviews won’t reflect the business’s current reputation and the customer service experienced by recent shoppers.


A study published in Psychological Science using phone cases on Amazon.com found that customers are more likely to favour a product based on the quantity of reviews, rather than what they say. The findings indicate that most people tend to favour a product that has more reviews, even if it has a lower rating than another product.

More is better: Why review quantity matters | inline

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amazon reviews

In terms of exposure and search engine optimisation, small and medium businesses can also benefit greatly from having as many reviews as possible.

Search engines generally notice when customers are talking about your business a lot. That’s why the number of reviews is an indication of your business’s credibility and reputation.

> To learn more about how reviews impact your SEO - check out our webinar here.

Review quantity matters, yes, but let’s not forget to aim for quality too! It’s a good thing to collect as many online reviews as possible, but it’s important to understand that numerous poor-quality reviews may not help you grow your business.

Ultimately, more reviews are important, as long as you collect honest, authentic reviews. It’s important that your customer feedback reflects your company’s reputation, that’s why combining review quality and quantity is essential in order to boost your business’s reputation.

## Review quantity converts more consumers

A BrightLocal study revealed that when judging a business on customer feedback, 44% of people looked for the quantity of reviews.

When shoppers visit a website, they expect to read current reviews, and if there aren’t any, they might assume that this company isn’t good enough or hasn’t served enough customers, nullifying the effect of customer feedback.

According to a recent Trustpilot study, 16% of consumers think reviews are too old after 3 months, 36% after 6 months, and 65% after a year. If you want your business to stand out on search engines, collecting a lot of reviews, consistently, will help you show up more often.

And with 92% of consumers now reading online reviews before purchasing online, it’s only natural that many small businesses would work hard to convince potential customers by telling them about the shopping experience they can expect. With reviews, business can maximise their online visibility and reputation, and therefore convert more new visitors into customers.

High volumes of reviews seem to make the score you have more trustworthy, and reduce the impact of negative reviews on consumers. As most businesses are starting to understand that review volume can help boost conversion rates, one question remains. How many reviews are we talking about? 500? 1,000?

I think it’s safe to say that there is no specific number a business needs to hit in order to benefit from review volume; but the more, the better. The only threshold we’d recommend aiming for is 150, as that would qualify you for Google Seller Ratings, an automatic ad extension that can increase click-through rate on paid search.

Your business needs as many reviews as it can get to overcome from customer hesitation. To achieve this, you’ll need to collect as many positive reviews as possible, so that the handful of negative reviews you might receive won’t affect new visitors as much.

## Improving your review collection

Collecting customer feedback isn’t easy. In order to receive as many reviews as possible, it’s important to consider sending review invitations to every customer who’s purchased from your company and optimise your review invitations to increase the likelihood of getting a review.

But what are review invitations?

Review platforms like Trustpilot help you ask your existing customers for feedback shortly after purchasing from your eCommerce site via a form or an email invite.

Your invitations to review your service or product should be sent close to the time of the initial purchase, so that the experience is still top of mind. However, if you shipped your customer’s product across the planet, it might be more appropriate to send a review invitation a bit later, to make sure the customer received it safely.

However long you decide to wait to send the review invitation, you’ve made the decision to start collecting customer feedback in the form of reviews. You’re on the path to success, but the work isn’t all over.

Choosing how to collect feedback is important to ensure you receive as many reviews as possible, so here are four ways you can keep receiving reviews: 

Optimise your invitations: it’s important to learn the best time to send invitations, and the best way to request invitations. To do so, we recommend A/B testing both your timing and content.
Use reminders: don’t be scared of asking again. Sending reminders to customers is important when trying to collect as many reviews as possible.
Embed review forms on-site: place a review form right on your site to ensure a wide audience is exposed to the review form.
Incorporate reviews into your marketing strategy: add review calls-to-action to all your emails, newsletters, social accounts...  This can help you collect feedback, faster.
By keeping a constant flow of customer feedback, you’re ensuring that your conversion rate continues to increase.

### Wrapping up

Review quantity matters.

Businesses need to put review volume at the core of their customer-centric strategy if they’re going to commit to reviews. Improving your customer experience is one place to start. Delivering great service, sharing your reviews on different marketing channels, and sending review invitations is likely to help push shoppers to leave online reviews.

Investing in a strong review marketing strategy by using a third-party review tool is another way to make sure you’ll collect as many reviews as possible and be able to use them accordingly.

Softwares like Trustpilot can help you kickstart your review strategy. In addition to increasing review volume, Trustpilot customers report a strong rating increase from collecting customer feedback by inviting customers to review their service or product regularly.

Without a healthy volume of reviews, your business might be missing out on the full benefits of customer feedback, such as, higher conversion rates and traffic, new business insights, trusted relationships, customer loyalty and great reputation.

Find out more about reviews today, read our 'Bad reviews' report for free, and discover how Trustpilot can help you collect as many authentic reviews as possible, whilst using negative feedback to learn from your customers. 

More is better: Why review quantity matters | header

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More is better: Why review quantity matters for social proof

Today, retail exists in a major digital shift - mobile ecommerce sales in the UK, Germany and France alone will reach [€85bn](https://ecommercenews.eu/mcommerce-uk-germany-france-e85-billion-2018/) this year alone. In 2017, smartphone purchases accounted for [half](https://ecommercenews.eu/smartphone-represents-half-mcommerce-sales-uk/) of all ecommerce sales. 

As we deck the halls in the run up to Christmas, it’s pretty certain customers are reaching you in new, digital ways. Yet that can bring the unwanted present of fragmentation across different platforms and devices. 

And that is why adopting an omni-channel approach is vital to your success this Christmas, and beyond. In this blog, you’ll learn:

- What omni-channel means
- Why it matters
- What you can do today to see the benefits
- How other companies do it well

### What omni-channel means

An omni-channel experience approaches customer service, marketing and customer experience in a cohesive, connected manner, wherever and whenever a customer reaches out.

This means connecting multiple communication channels, tools and platforms to create a __seamless shopping experience__.

What differs omni-channel to multi-channel is that everything is connected. Multi-channel experiences are what most businesses offer today. There will be a website, a Facebook page, perhaps Twitter and more, but all of these channels are separate with differing strategies, aims, and even brading.

With omni-channel, visiting any of these platforms feels no different from another. It recognises each platform and device a customer could use to interact with a company. From there, the company designs a slick omni-channel customer experience, which means a customer is always in touch with the brand - rather than different teams in different channels.

Perhaps the leaders in this are Starbucks who, thanks to a seamless app-website-store relationship, boast almost [30%](https://iterable.com/blog/7-best-in-class-examples-omni-channel-marketing/) of sales through their app. 

Customers use the app to see their nearest Starbucks, to order their beverage, and even to join the membership programme. And when they come to collect their drink, all of this information is synced. 


starbucks-omni-channel-strategy-trustpilot

### Why omni-channel matters

Let’s put it simply: customers spend more with omni-channel retailers. According to [Deloitte](https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/consumer-business/us-consumer-business-2016-holiday-survey-results.pdf), they spend 208% more. 

And as we established earlier, there are a bunch of ways to reach out to you today. An Internet Retailing [study](https://internetretailing.net/themes/themes/mobile-and-social-shopping-lead-the-way-as-uk-consumers-continue-to-embrace-ecommerce--18330) found almost half (45%) of UK shoppers browse online in their free time, and 22% of UK shoppers bought an item after seeing something on social media. 

So you’ve got:

- a captive audience searching for you
- and not just through the traditional means of your website or a search engine

Imagine then that a prospective customer sees a cool product on your Facebook page. But when they click it, it takes them to your general webshop. 

If you’re adapted to omni-channel, this wouldn’t happen. The customer would go directly to the product on offer. 

Similarly with customer feedback: let’s say a customer reaches out to you through Facebook to complain about your service. You might have a dedicated customer service tool to deal with this, and in an omni-channel world the feedback is linked across your software and Facebook. It is answerable in either tool, but the same team, with the same expertise. 

It’s all about creating as few barriers as possible across channels and devices, so a customer never notices a difference in their experience with you whether they hop from their phone to the computer, or from your social media to your website. 

Do it right, and [Aberdeen Group](https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/internet-retailer/) reckon you’ll retain 89% of your customers, opposed to a dismal 33% retention rate for companies with a weak omni-channel focus. 

### What you can do today to see the benefits

A true in-depth omni-channel strategy takes some work, but there are small things you can start doing today definitely in time for Christmas.

__1. Align your branding__

Make sure your channels are fed into one another. No more edgy Facebook branding but then dull webshop marketing. 

Walk in your customers’ shoes and take a tour of your own brand. See where things perhaps don’t make sense any more, and iron out those imperfections to create something coherent and strong.

__2. Bring digital in-store__

With iPads or similar technology, being digital in your brick-and-mortar store has never been cheaper or easier. 

Take a look at UK fashion retailer Oasis. Staff in their stores are available to check stock levels and pricing at any time, all thanks to their trusty iPads.

Customers simply approach staff, ask about a product, and all the information is there. And if it’s out of stock, the staff member can order the missing product then and there. 

Oh - and once the product is ordered, it’s easily trackable in the Oasis app. Pretty slick customer service, right?



oasis-omni-channel-strategy-trustpilot

__3. Develop content that really speaks to customer behaviour__

This is especially important on the run up to Christmas where you might be retargeting old customers, or pushing promotions to new ones. 

Refer back to previous buying behaviour. Entice new customers with offers unique to them. Reward loyal customers with incentives to buy from you again, but perhaps through a different channel this time.

And, most importantly, make sure this curated content functions well across all devices. It’s all part of making sure your marketing is aligned. 

__4. Adapt for most-used devices__

Customers increasingly use a range of devices to research and make a purchase. Make sure you are catering for the devices people reach you on.

For example, if a customer adds an item to their cart on their mobile, but then later switches to their cart on a laptop, the cart status should still remain the same. 

Brands like Topshop are especially good at this. Also at Topshop, their [Topshop On the Go app](http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/category/topshop-on-the-go-landing-page-4183580/home?geoip=noredirect) goes one step further - equipped with a barcode scanner, customers can look at stock levels and alternative items. Anything that’s interesting can then be saved for a later date, or bought on the spot.

Topshop on the go app trustpilot omnichannel strategy

__5. Gather customer feedback wherever you can__

Online reviews increase customer confidence in you. But how can you collect reviews in the omni-channel space?

Email and social media are a given, but try an iPad in store next time. Or a link on the receipt of a purchased product which asks for feedback. Wherever you can be open to feedback, do it. And when you get the feedback, sprinkle it across your multiple channels to keep customers trusting you no matter how they find you. 


### Ready to make the change?

Sure, rethinking yourself for an audience that’s also rethinking itself is not easy. What’s key though is being attentive to your customers and their behaviour. Start making small changes today to become more intuitive and agile, and I guarantee you’ll reap big rewards in 2019. 


sirkin research

trustpilot omnichannel strategy best christmas gift

Why an omni-channel experience is your best Christmas present

### 7 trust-building tips based on copywriting psychology

__1. Hook them in__

Building trust can only begin once you’ve caught their attention. That’s why your headlines have to resonate with the right people in a way that compels them to click through. 

Browsers will quickly forget your brand if headlines are too generic or vague. Great headlines can make or break every piece of content you publish. 

Consider the case of Upworthy who’ve witnessed tangible results from simply changing a headline. “[When we test headlines](https://www.wired.com/2013/02/tabloid-chic-the-rise-of-racy-headlines/) we see 20% difference, 50% difference, 500% difference. A really excellent headline can make something go viral,” says Co-Founder Peter Koechley.

Great headlines:

- Convey a clear sense of what someone can obtain from taking action
- Speak from a position of authority, a.k.a. you know what you’re talking about 
- Includes a natural use of your primary keyword 

Tools such as the [Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyser](https://www.aminstitute.com/headline/) help to weigh up whether your headlines are going to work. 


best headlines

Your headline receives a % score — we recommend aiming for a score of 50+. However, the key is to test and run with what works best. 

__2. Drop the jargon__

While sounding technical, jargon too often makes your content harder to digest. People are left processing unfamiliar words, rather than focusing on the key message: you know how to make their lives easier and can be their trusted partner. 

Overall, people are wary of anything that seems like smoke and mirrors. [Research shows](http://psp.sagepub.com/content/36/11/1576) individuals using buzzwords, rather than factual terms, were more likely to be perceived as liars. 

Therefore, the key is to:

- Make your message so simple it sticks. Stay outcome-focussed and straightforward 
- Tailor your message to your audience. Speak in the terms they understand

__3. Bucket brigade __

So, now that you’ve captured the eyes of an audience, your next task is to keep them reading with content that convinces and converts. Bucket brigade is an old school copywriting technique that still works just as well today. The aim is to keep readers engaged, even in the longest content pieces. 

In many ways, bucket brigades make it easier for visitors to keep reading because:

- They act as the conversational transitions between key ideas. Some copywriting examples include, “here’s the deal”, “the truth is”, “you might be wondering”, “want to know the best part?”. 
- They visually break up the text, so readers can easily skim content and pick out the most important messages (without having to digest a textbook-style wall of text). 

Best of all, bucket brigade is simple to start incorporating into your copy. It may look something like this: 



making your copy more credible

writing more trustworthy copy

improving credibility with copywriting

__4. Repetition, repetition, repetition__

What you say is only part of becoming more believable and trustworthy. It’s also about how often you say it. [Research shows](http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/v33/v33_10345.pdf), as repetition increases, the perceived validity of claim increases. Consistently, studies reveal “people rate repeated statements as more true than non-repeated statements”, regardless of how factual those statements are. 

That’s why repetition is such a useful trick in copywriting psychology. However, it shouldn’t translate to monotony. Repetition simply makes sure your core message is communicated effectively, in particular, at the start and end of any piece of content. 

__5. Show the why__

People resonate with reason, even if it doesn’t always make sense. Researchers proved this in 1978 when they ran an experiment involving the reasons that people gave for pushing in the queue for the printer. People who tried to cut the line said one of the following phrases: 

1. “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”
2. “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?
3. “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?”

For the phrases that received the most number of people agreeing to let the person in, phrases 1 and 3 performed similarly. Phrase 2 elicited a more negative response. 

The reason? It’s all thanks to a simple “because”. Statements that appeal through reason are more likely to be trusted. 

That’s why showing “the why” is so important in your copywriting. 

Some ways you can demonstrate reason is through using words and phrases such as “because”, “since”, “seeing that/as”, “owing to the fact”, and “due to the”.

__6. Proof is in the pudding__

Social proof is quite simply your most powerful copywriting tool. Want people to trust you? You need to first show why you’re already trusted by countless others. This is where reviews come into the picture. 

[Research shows](https://digest.bps.org.uk/2012/12/17/the-psychology-of-online-reviews/) that people are often “impressed after reading early positive reviews, even if negative reviews come later”. 

Since reviews are so powerful, it makes sense to use them as much as possible. Place testimonials on your homepage, alongside your products and services, and even in email drips. If someone has blogged about your business, share it across your social media channels and email list. 

You can even weave in social proof throughout your key website pages by including phrases such as:

- Trusted by 200 customers across Sydney 
- Hear it from our 100+ happy customers!
- 400 businesses can’t be wrong
- Partnering with 74 local businesses and counting! 
- Rated 4+/5 by 500 happy customers
- As seen in / As featured in 

Responding to all reviews is also a great way to take social proof to the next level. Say thanks to everyone who took time out of their day to leave a positive review. In contrast, leave genuine and constructive responses to negative reviews. It all goes a long way to demonstrate you’re a trustworthy, approachable and helpful business. 

__7. Paint a picture__
 
Effective copywriting is storytelling tailored to your business and supported by the facts no one can deny. 

Making the transition from window shopping to pulling out your wallet is a big step. Often people are grappling with a problem and looking for a solution. Your business comes into the picture by providing the best solution around. 

Your content needs to connect the dots by painting a picture. You want people to focus on the ideal and imagine what life *could* be like with you in the picture. 

Starting a sentence with the word “imagine” is the simplest way to invite readers to picture themselves in the narrative you build. 

### Over to you

There are so many ways for wordsmiths to attract new audiences and create brand advocates. What proves effective depends on so many factors, including what your audience cares about. That’s why trying and testing what works is most important. 

What copywriting tips do you use? 








__Author: Andrew Raso__

Andrew is the CEO and Co-Founder of [Online Marketing Gurus](http://onlinemarketinggurus.com.au/). He has a long illustrious career in the SEO and SEM industry and has written for many prestigious websites, including entrepreneur.com, jeffbullas.com, searchenginejournal.com, kissmetrics.com and contentmarketinginstitute.com. He was also featured on Sky News Business and awarded the 30under30 award by Anthill.


copywriting secrets trustpilot

7 Copywriting secrets to be more trustworthy and convincing

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Branding shouldn’t be the sole responsibility of your marketing team.
Every employee across every department in your business has a role to play and if you’re not managing to inspire your talent to be brand ambassadors for you, then something is wrong.
Regardless of good social media campaigns and strong PR building, it’s no secret that the ultimate way to promote your company brand is to have your engaged employees on board and actively campaigning for you as brand ambassadors.  
They have a deeper understanding of how your business operates and the culture and values your company stands for, enabling them to create a deeper emotional with your customer.  

## The impact of disengaged employees

Disengaged employees negatively affect a lot more than you may think.  Even actively engaged employees can be directly impacted by decreased morale within a team if other member’s levels of engagement drop – it’s like a black cloud hovering over the team and I’m sure most of us know what it feels like to work alongside someone who is feeling disgruntled or unsatisfied in their job.
Disengagement causes a domino effect; Low satisfaction levels amongst employees leads to low customer service levels which in turn means lowered revenue.  None of which is benefiting anyone.
Unmotivated employees offer poor customer service which goes further than direct sales.  Even those disengaged employees working behind the scenes are not representing their employers in the best light to the people they know.  I think it’s fair to say we have all come across a Facebook status rant relating to places of work which can impact future potential business and is detrimental to the brand image.
So how can employers turn this situation around?  By introducing efforts to turn these disengaged employees into not only just engaged, but passionate brand ambassadors.

## Benefits of brand ambassadors

Brand ambassadors are committed to positively representing the company, turning disengaged employees into loyal ones who genuinely enjoy their job.  They can boost brand awareness in a more cost effective way, than other marketing methods, by effortlessly engaging in conversation with potential customers about your business or talking about your brand on their social media.
As brand ambassadors have a long-term emotional connection with the brand, they end up providing promotion that comes across as authentic, credible and trustworthy.
Employees as brand ambassadors can best represent your brand as they fully understand the deeper elements of your business values, goals and ethics.  
To begin, you can start to implement the following steps to turn your disengaged employees into engaged and passionate brand ambassadors…

### Step 1:  Engaging the disengaged

Moving forward, disengaged employees can be replaced with smarter recruitment strategies with more focus being placed on finding better [culture fits](https://www.forbes.com/consent/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2017/04/03/how-important-is-culture-fit-for-employee-retention/).  


Or, disengaged members can be converted to engaged employees through better understanding of the needs of the individuals and improved workforce policies and procedures.
Terms can be evaluated and renegotiated.  Skills can be better placed across the organisation and innovative flexible working arrangements can be enforced to raise levels of engagement.
Companies with engaged employees outperform those without by up to 202% and are connected to 10x more people than your brand alone.
Once you understand the reasoning behind the disengagement, you can begin to develop and implement engagement strategies in the specific areas that need focus.

### Step 2:  Communication

Effective communication is a two way street.  It requires feedback and suggestions from both parties, as well as praise and critique.  
Brand ambassadors need to feel that they are being kept in the loop and are a welcomed part of the brand journey.  Communicate your ideas, objectives and long or short term goals.  Employees as ambassadors won’t do a good job of representing your brand if they don’t know the finer details about it.  

### Step 3:   Trust and transparency

This step is [critical to long-term success](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateharrison/2017/10/16/7-tips-for-running-a-successful-brand-ambassador-program/#64bdb5cc1f17).  Employers should be giving regular updates to their employees on current and future issues and discussing the steps being taken to tackle them. 
Employees will see first-hand the issues happening within the organisation, so rather than try to ignore it, you should address the issues with your staff to get any input on ways they believe procedures or processes could better work to serve the customer.  
Not only will this help you and the business, it will make your employees feel valued for their contributions and know that they have a voice, not just considered a number.

### Step 4:  Create and maintain a positive work environment

Employees working in a negative environment will constantly clock watch and do the bare minimum to get the job done and get home.  
A [positive work environment](https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2017/07/25/3-reasons-why-positive-work-cultures-are-more-productive/#2432aad61ede) encourages happier employees.  Employees should feel happy and comfortable in their work surroundings to be able to work to their best ability and go above and beyond the requirements of their role.  And happy employees are more likely to help spreading good word about the brand.

### Step 5:  Be more personable

Of course there needs to be a strong personal connection between the brand ambassador and the brand itself.  
Get to really know your employees individually and invest time in understanding your employee’s background story.  This will create a better connection and allow you to place them in roles and opportunities you know suit them and their aspirations – creating employee satisfaction and loyalty.

### Step 6:  Offer incentives

Creating healthy competition amongst staff and rewarding top performing employees with perks or social recognition will engage and motivate employees to do better  You could also offer incentives to brand ambassadors for candidates they refer to work for the company, such as a cash bonus if their referral passes their probationary period which is a win-win situation for everyone involved.  
Incentives encourage individuals to stay focused on a goal and push them to develop outside of their comfort zones, where they will grow, creating happy employees who love their job.

### Step 7:  Give over some control

Don’t micromanage.  Put more trust into employees to present their ideas or manage their own projects.  
If there is the option for [remote working](https://blog.cake.hr/working-home-complete-guide-remote-work/) or flexible working schedules, set the boundaries and let your employees control how they work – you might be surprised how much motivation this will instil into your staff.
By letting go of some control, it gives individuals more opportunities to flourish and your business will see a return on investment in no time.

### Step 8:  Provide employees with the right tools

If you want staff to be brand ambassadors across social media (for example), you need to ensure they are well equipped to do the best job possible.  
You could go as far as offering company perks such as phone or tablet to work from remotely with strong internet access.  Provide them with design templates, high quality photos, hashtags, brand logos etc. to enable them to promote your business with nothing holding them back.  

### Step 9:  Training 


…Which is why it’s so important to get your staff trained up properly on the dos and don’ts of social media promotion.
A study by MSLGROUP uncovered that social media posts shared by a company’s employees can reach [561%](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253456) further than if the post was just shared on the company profile page!
Sign employees up for social media training with emphasis on popular social platforms, and give them the skills to develop marketing strategies that can be implemented in line with organisational goals.  
Technology and marketing skills like these are so valuable to anyone these days as they are completely transferable, getting people ahead of the competition and your employees will be grateful for the extra skill set in something so relevant.
Then, by showing staff how their marketing has impacted or will impact growth and sales, employees will better understand the effect they are having on the business, boosting engagement and satisfaction further.

### Step 10 – Hand out the merchandise 

Giving away freebies with your company logo on or recognisable brand details will help to create brand awareness within employees own networks of friends and family, even across their social media reaching a larger audience – plus, who doesn’t love a freebie?

### Step 11 – Recognition

[Give recognition](https://www.snacknation.com/blog/employee-recognition-ideas/) to employees that go the extra mile, creating pride, ownership and responsibility in your workforce.
There is a strong correlation between employee recognition and a boost in employee satisfaction, so acknowledge hard work with personal, relevant and timely praise.





_____

By nurturing, developing and implementing these engagement strategies, you will transform your disengaged staff into the perfect brand ambassadors for your organisation.
Hopefully these steps will get you and your business on its way to having happier more engaged employees, positively boosting your company’s brand image.



__Robyn South__ is an HR professional with over 7 years' experience in generalist and complex employee relations matters. Skilled in employee relations, advisory services, HR consulting, HR policies, management and employee training. Part of [CakeHR](https://blog.cake.hr/)’s content management team.


How to turn disengaged employees into brand ambassadors

amazon and offline shopping

Amazon are huge. There’s no doubt about it. You might already be selling your products on Amazon and therefore have a piece of the pie.

But what about if you don’t? 

You’ve seen how cheap products are on Amazon, you may have bought things from there yourself. However, can you really afford to match their prices and still run a profitable business? Probably not.

So what does this mean for smaller eCommerce owners who still want to sell their products online but don’t know how to compete with the likes of Amazon? Should they stop trying to sell their products online, or at all?

A quick Google search will show you countless small businesses who now cease to exist because they couldn’t afford to keep up with the prices offered by large marketplaces, like Amazon.

In this post, we’re going to find that out. By the end of this blog, you’ll have a clear understanding of some strategies you can start implementing today to help put your eCommerce store on the map, without lowering your prices to next-to-nothing.

Are you ready?  

## Focus on reviews

Now you may be wondering how focussing on reviews will help you beat the likes of Amazon when they have hundreds of not thousands reviews on some of their products. 


Picture1

The difference is, in large when someone reads a review of a product on Amazon, they’re mainly looking for information regarding whether or not the product did what it said it would.

This is because, as a consumer, you know often you’ll get a product that looks nothing like it does on the photo or doesn’t work as promised.


Source: http://www.collegehumor.com/post/7039275/15-regrettable-online-purchases-that-are-far-too-funny

Review example

Compare this to when people leave in depth reviews on independent ecommerce sites.

Picture3

Do you see how much detail the reviewer goes into on the BOSE website? Compare this to the Amazon headphone review above.

Bose also has different ranking criteria so that those who don’t want to read the reviews can get a quick snapshot view of how effective the headphones are beyond a “good” or “bad” score. 

On smaller eCommerce sites, where the business has built a brand around their product, people are looking to at the reviews to see how people feel as a result of owning or using the product. 

You also have the advantage of putting your reviews anywhere on your site.

Amazon reviews are only visible if you go to the product page, but you have freedom in where you place these reviews.

You could put them on the homepage to immediately show potential customers how their lives will be different when they own your product. 

What’s more, when a product on Amazon has 1000 1 star reviews, and an overall score of 2 stars, most people won’t give it the time of day, so people never get as far as even clicking on the product page. 

Whereas because you’re dedicating your entire site to your specific products, you have the opportunity to tell your story and get people to buy into the brand before they’ve even considered the reviews.

Showcasing your reviews in an easy-to-find place will be great for customer acquisition and help you compete against the bigger online marketplaces in the world.

## Find what makes you different

When you think of Amazon, what’s the first product you think about? Likely, the answer you gave is different to the answer I gave and different again from the answer your friend would give. 

It’s no lie that Amazon sells a wide range of products.


Picture4

There are 24 parent categories on Amazon and within that, as you can see from the photo above, numerous subcategories.

Because of this, there’s no niche element to Amazon. No-one thinks “Amazon - home of the Sports and Outdoors” category.

So if you want to compete with Amazon and win, find what makes your eCommerce store different. When you find your differentiating factor, double down on that.

No one goes to Amazon for inspiration. If you’re looking for a new cushion cover for your house, Amazon isn’t the first place you think of because there’s just so much there. You don’t know whether they have curated the best of the bunch, but you do know there’s lots to look through. 

Instead, if you’re looking for inspiration, you’ll seek out niche sites that specialise and have a focus in what you sell.

So for example, if you were looking for specific ornaments for your house, would you go to Amazon or would you try a niche site like Made.com where they have an entire section of their website dedicated to inspiration. 


Picture5

Likewise, if you’re selling a complex product, or need to process complex orders such as “X,Y,Z” with a modified Z” this is really difficult to do. 

If we look at this product on Amazon you have to pick from a range of choices.


Picture6

You can only choose from a range of set sizes and a range of set colours. But what if you wanted the arms just that little bit longer? It’s just not possible on Amazon and so if you’re selling complex or custom products you already have an advantage over the retail marketplace, as they’re limited by the levels of customisation they can offer.

Source: https://www.tailorstore.co.uk/shirt-designer#IN2LJVsPZ3p5928jN0Z5AwSf70E|C0uXJVgMyD84

Picture7

At Tailorstore, you can create your shirt exactly how you want it, in terms of style, size and colour.

When you find what makes you different, you need to also find a way to scream and shout about it. Doing so will put you leagues ahead from Amazon as you begin to specialise within your industry and become the de facto name that comes to people’s minds. 

## Personalise everything

For a second I want you to think about the process that happens when you buy something from Amazon. 

You find your chosen product, read the reviews, hit order and then wait for the product to be delivered. 

When the product arrives, it’s usually in a brown cardboard box and perhaps has a flyer in from the seller. 

That’s it. 

Now think about the times you’ve bought something from Amazon and struggled to use it in the right way. You then have to go onto Google and find resources that help you solve the problem. 

After the sale, the only conversation you have is Amazon asking you to review the product. 


Picture8

Compare this to when you buy something from an independent store. 

Often after the purchase you’ll get a series of follow up emails that help you make best use of the product. 

Or they’ll have a live chat feature where you can get in touch with their customer support - people who truly understand the product. 

You can’t contact Amazon’s customer support if you’re not sure how to use the fan heater you just bought. 

The difference? The level of personalisation an independent eCommerce store can offer. You have complete freedom when it comes to how personalised you create the experience for your customers. 

Because you have data on your customers and know which items they’ve bought you can create tailored experiences for each person to suit their individual needs. 

Adding this level of personalisation to your store will make your customers feel unique. They will feel as though their purchase is appreciated and you are here moving forwards to help them make best use of the product you’ve just bought.

## Tell a story

Some business sell products and some businesses sell stories. Amazon only offer the former giving you an opportunity to dominate on the latter. 

What we mean by stories is how far does your business go beyond your products? Do you have effective branding? Is your branding inline with your business’ story?

The way you tell your story, how you came to be and why you decided to launch your product in the industry you launched it in will have a positive effect on the number of sales. 

We’ve already mentioned that Amazon don’t have a cohesive brand. There’s no single product that comes to mind when you think about Amazon. 

But where you can dominate is to have a reason for existing. People buy into stories and when they buy into your story, they’ll be more than happy to. It into your product. 

Hiut Denim tells a great story of how they used their business to bring manufacturing back home to support the 400 people who lost jobs in their town. 


Source: https://hiutdenim.co.uk/blogs/story/5156362-our-town-is-going-to-make-jeans-again

Picture9

They didn’t want the great skills of their community to go to waste, so rather than keep costs low and send the work abroad, they decided to breathe new life into their town by hiring locally.

## Takeaways

Don’t feel pressured to compete with Amazon on price. The likelihood is you won’t be able to do it. They’re able to charge significantly lower than you ever could and still make a profit.

Instead use the techniques listed above to find what makes you different, personalise the experiences for all your customers and tell a really good story. 

When you do that, you won’t even have to think about competing with Amazon, for there won’t be a competition in the first place. 


*This is a guest post from Mert Gençler, Inbound Marketing Manager at Prisync, a price tracking software.*

Should you try to compete with Amazon? Your eCommerce strategy guide

74% of those studied responded they would most likely refuse to interact or do business with a person or company if they found negative information about them online.

Today, the first impression prospects and customers have of your business is probably online. What people see on Page 1 of Google directly impacts the sales and leads for your business. I want to share 7 ways to turbocharge the [online reputation](http://www.reputationrhino.com/what-is-online-reputation-management/) of your business.

## 1. Get Social 
Create an optimized personal or business profile on high quality social media and Web 2.0 sites, like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter and Google+/Google My Business. Post a well written bio or business description, upload high quality photos and link to your other online profiles. Think about ways to leverage these social channels in a way that makes sense for your business.

A dentist will get much more mileage out of highlighting the secrets to a celebrity smile than simply regramming Kim Kardashian’s latest post. Measure success by more than just followers -- user engagement and hitting the right messaging with the right audience is a far more valuable and often overlooked metric for most businesses.

We are reminded of the potential of social media when considering how the [ALS Ice Bucket Challenge](http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2015/08/26/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-donations-from-the-220-million-campaign-advanced-als-research/) forced every non-profit to rethink cause marketing by generating publicity, celebrity engagement and donation dollars during the late summer when fundraising is traditionally in the doldrums.

## 2. Be the Master of Your Domain 
Purchase firstnamelastname.com and other variants for your name, your company and your key products or services. Register your name and brands across social media. With domains costing about the same as a trip to Starbucks, there is no good reason not to own your brand.

Last year a small marketing company tried to capitalize on our goodwill and marketing by registering a deceptively similar domain and social media channels that actually ranked pretty highly on page 1 for related searches. We hired a high-powered intellectual property law firm, had an airtight case and were ultimately triumphant, but a few thousand dollars in legal fees are much better spent at a blackjack table in Las Vegas or on the beach in the Caribbean. Remember you can win Monopoly by having the best properties or by having the most properties.

## 3. Content Marketing Matters 
When was the last time you clicked on an ad on the top or right side of Google? Can’t remember can you? You are not alone. We call that “ad blindness” and it is not an incurable disease but a reflection of the fact that we are bombarded with advertising messages everywhere we go, driving on the freeway, opening our email and of course, searching online. There are a couple of cures for ad blindness. One is to deliver better ads that are highly responsive to search intent. For example, someone searching for “best Mexican restaurant in Louisville” is far more responsive than online searches for “Louisville restaurant” and a responsive ad to the former search will do much better than any ad for the latter.

Another way to cure ad blindness is to deliver outstanding content to your audience, rather than a sales pitch or advertisement.

[Content marketing](http://www.reputationrhino.com/content-marketing-matters/) involves creating useful, engaging content – video, blog, infographic, etc. to educate and inform prospective clients and customers so they come to see you (and your company) as a subject matter expert and thought leader in your area of specialization. Quality content has a half-life many times that of any ordinary advertisement, visitors return again and again to a useful post or video and share with others.

## 4. Monitor Mentions 
Google yourself! Find out what is being said about you or your company online. If you are on the customer or client facing side of your company with a sales or business development role, adjust privacy settings accordingly and delete embarrassing personal content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media.

Monitor conversations mentioning your name, brand or company. Discover where the conversations are taking place, what people are saying and who are the key influencers impacting the dialogue surrounding your company. Measure sentiment and follow trends. Are certain social channels or discussion forums driving the chatter for your brand? If so, this is probably where you need to be more active and responsive.

## 5. Review Your Reviews 
When people are searching for your brand name, products or services online, client and customer reviews will help determine whether the next call or business lead will be yours. Google+/Google My Business, Yelp, [Trustpilot](http://www.trustpilot.com/), Yellow Pages and other relevant review sites with star ratings are eye candy for people searching online, and you should be actively trying to attract as many reviews as possible.

Google shows local business review sites lots of love in the search engine rankings, so this is a great opportunity to influence your Page 1 results and promote your business. Plus, some customer review sites allow you to seamlessly [share positive reviews on your Facebook and other social channels](https://business.trustpilot.com/product-tour?utm_medium=12/1/how-reviews-factor-into-reputation-management&utm_source=share+positive+reviews+on+your+Facebook+and+other+social+channels&utm_campaign=blog_en&sfdc=701b0000000JsWM). Can you imagine an easier way to connect a positive message with your audience?

For doctors, RateMDs.com and Healthgrades.com are among the key review sites to watch closely. Lawyers should be following reviews and ratings from Avvo.com and Lawyers.com. Regardless of your vertical, you should know which review sites have the most impact on your business and make these sites your top priority.

Not only should you be monitoring your business reviews in real-time, you need to know when to respond immediately and when to remain silent. What you say can and will be used against you online, realize your response will say far more about your company and business ethics over the long run than any single negative review.

## 6. Press Releases 
I’ve heard a lot of good reasons why [press releases](http://www.business2community.com/public-relations/death-press-release-greatly-exaggerated-01137977) don’t matter anymore for reputation management. If you are trying to outrank a high authority negative search result with a press release, you are going to have a very happy press release vendor and a very frustrated client. But press releases do still rank. On page 2 or 3 most often, but news about your company, written by your company, sure beats almost whatever else is on these pages right now. Also, press releases still have some residual SEO value. Do-follow links (by sites republishing the press release) can be very valuable and most press release sites allow you to pepper your PR with a variety of links to not only your Web site, but also to link to positive business review sites and your social media websites. Press releases get a lot of social media support and these branded retweets, Facebook shares and other social proof all come at no additional cost. With premium press release distribution available for under $300, this is another valuable tool at your disposal with multiple reputation management benefits.

## 7. Online Reputation Management 
Let’s just say I am not a “do it yourself” kind of guy. When I need help with something I try to find someone who is better than me and, when it comes to home improvement, it is usually not that hard to find. Most of us get help from accounting experts with our taxes. We hire lawyers to draft our real estate contracts. We go to doctors when we are sick. If you have a problem online, you can try to fix it yourself, but unlike a poorly built dresser from Ikea, your online reputation can’t be tucked away in the corner of your bedroom. It is out there for the world to see every day.

There are reputation management companies that do this work every day. It is not cheap. There are no guarantees. Ultimately, Google’s algorithm is as inscrutable as Coke’s formula, KFC’s secret blend of herbs and spices or Donald Trump’s campaign speeches.

If your online reputation really matters and you are having some serious issues showing up on the first page, find the best reputation management company you can afford to help.

---


Guest post by
## __Todd William__
Todd is the founder and CEO of Reputation Rhino and has over 15 years of experience providing a wide range of legal and strategic advisory services to Fortune 500 companies and financial institutions on a broad variety of regulatory, enforcement, compliance, risk management and transactional matters. Todd advises individuals and companies on online reputation management, public relations and digital marketing strategies.


How reviews factor into reputation management

How reviews factor into online reputation

Product reviews require a balance of time, resources and benefits to consider. So we’ve put together 5 questions to consider when choosing product reviews.

## But first… What do you want to achieve?
- Is your main driver more traffic from keywords?
- More visibility through review snippets?
- More on site conversions from social proof?
- Or just more insight into your products?

Keep these questions in the back of your mind as we address five things to consider with every customer feedback solution you consider.

## SETUP
### How long will it take to set up and what resources are needed?
Building a collection of product reviews takes time. If you already have product reviews you don’t want to start over from square one.

We recommend importing existing reviews in your collection tool, invite past customers to leave a review, and automate the review invitation process going forward.

__How Trustpilot Product Reviews work:__
Typically this process takes less than one hour to import, collect, and display reviews. It does not require any development work.

## TRAFFIC
### Will I get the SEO benefits from my product reviews?
Indexing product reviews on your site is similar to allowing your customers to SEO optimize your site for you. Your customer provide unique fresh content for your product pages when they submit a review.

When shoppers review products, their descriptions use the same words and phrases that other consumers search for. If correctly marking up your reviews against your URL, search engines will index the content which can lead to your product pages appearing in more searches.

__How Trustpilot Product Reviews work:__
Whether you choose our SEO TrustBoxes or build your own custom TrustBox, you’ll get the SEO benefits directly on your product pages for maximum impact and traffic in search engines.

### Will my product reviews give my product pages Review Snippets in Google?
Review Snippet stars in organic Google Search can improve CTR [up to 30%](http://searchengineland.com/how-to-get-a-30-increase-in-ctr-with-structured-markup-105830) and having product reviews on your product pages can make your site eligible for Review Snippets, but you need the correct structured data markup to get them. It’s always best to check [Google for the latest requirements.](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/guides/intro-structured-data#markup-formats-and-placement)

__How Trustpilot Product Reviews work:__
Google recommends using JSON-LD format for structured data markup and our SEO TrustBoxes have this markup built-in. This means you have the best way of integration product reviews on your site ensuring you are getting the maximum SEO value. If implementing a solution on your own, we recommend using JSON-LD.

### What is Google doing with product reviews and why you should use JSON-LD?
[In 2016, Google announced](https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2016/05/introducing-rich-cards.html) the next step in the evolution of Rich Snippets: Rich Cards. This means people searching on mobile will see a big, beautiful card advertising the result instead of plain text (see image below).

Now with [more searches in Google on mobile than on desktops](http://searchengineland.com/its-official-google-says-more-searches-now-on-mobile-than-on-desktop-220369) this has the potential to be a very powerful search conversion tool. Google “strongly recommends” using JSON-LD to get Rich Cards.

Google is constantly changing, including the best practices for product review mark-up. Years ago, reviews were marked up with RDFa. This then changed to microdata. Now microdata has changed again to JSON-LD. If you are not displaying reviews in JSON-LD, you soon will be a step behind.

How Rich Cards can appear (picture courtesy of Google)

Rich cards

## SALES
### Will product reviews be displayed in a way that impacts my bottom line?
[BrightLocal research ](https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/)shows 92% of consumers read online reviews, and 71% say online reviews directly influence their buying decisions.

Social proof is a powerful asset when selling online. Building trust in both your business and your products is an investment proven to drive ROI.

Already have product reviews on your site? Follow these steps to see if you are getting all the benefits that you could be receiving:

__1 - Examine the product page__ with [Google's Structured Data Testing Tool](https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool/u/0/#)

data testing tool

__2 - Look for:__

- "aggregateRating" - This is the overall rating of the product
- “reviewBody” - This is the review text. If Google can’t see this, then you are not getting any keyword benefits from your reviews
- “reviewCount” - this is the number of reviews Google can see. Is it the same number of reviews that appear on the page, or are some reviews not visible to Google?

__3 - If other errors appear__ then your solution is not meeting the proper structure requirements for SEO.

## The effect product reviews have on page speed
Slow page speed is a known [conversion killer](https://blog.kissmetrics.com/speed-is-a-killer/). Walmart.com experience a [2% conversion increase](http://www.webperformancetoday.com/2014/04/09/web-page-speed-affect-conversions-infographic/) for every one second they improved their page speed.

If your product reviews solution is using RDFa or microdata markup then it needs to be a server-site integration, which means they add to your page speed and can decrease conversions.

Using the JSON-LD data markup you can built an integration that loads asynchronously with your site and therefore doesn’t negatively effect your page speed keeping your conversion rates as high as possible.

## Ready to try out product reviews?
Trustpilot offers an all-in-one product reviews solution designed to boost your SEO and help you build a strong reputation.

With product reviews, higher traffic, conversions and online legitimacy are just around the corner. Download a free copy of our Complete Guide to Reviews, and find out more about product reviews.

Download the complete guide to customer reviews

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

number 5 sign

5 Things to consider before working with product reviews

What to look for in a content strategist

Digital content marketing is one of the most difficult things for brands to implement successfully today. A MarketingProfs study showed that only 35% of marketers say their content strategy is very effective.

Companies understand that they should have a content strategist on board, but content strategy as a concept still isn’t clear to everyone. Understanding what content strategy is exactly, how it serves businesses, and what a content strategist does, is probably the best place to start.

According to Rahel Bailie, coauthor of ‘Content Strategy: Connecting the dots between business, brand, and benefits and principal of Intentional Design’, content strategy deals with the planning aspects of managing content throughout its lifecycle, and includes aligning content to business goals, analysis, and modeling, and influences the development, production, presentation, evaluation, measurement, and sunsetting of content.

Wikipedia describes content strategy as the planning, development, and management of content - written or in other media. Sounds simple enough. And digital content marketing and content strategy are the same thing, right?

No! Content strategy is all-inclusive, whilst digital content marketing refers to attracting customers and retaining them through meaningful content. Essentially, digital content marketing could be described as a combination of sales techniques and organic marketing, all in one, whereas content strategy is your business’s master plan for using content in every possible way. A good content marketing campaign can only be successful if there is a strong content strategy foundation holding it up.

### Digital content marketing: my role in a nutshell…

If I had to describe my job, I would say that I work with colleagues and clients to formulate editorial strategies and execute them for success. This involves coordinating with the marketing team, the sales team, and our partners and customers through blogs, case studies, emails, infographics, white papers, guides, and more...

Daily life...

### What to look for in a content strategist

Even though a content strategist’s role can vary from one company to the other, some of the role’s aspects remain the same across every organisation:

1. The content strategist creates specific content for the brand’s audience.
2. The content strategist is in charge of content delivery and promotion.
3. The content strategist sets guidelines for the style and voice of the brand.
4. The content strategist measures what’s working and what’s not in order to continually improve the brand’s content strategy.

So how can you make sure you hire the right person, to lead the right strategy? Here are 5 skills you should be looking for when hiring a content strategist.

### Copywriting skills

No matter how well you plan and distribute your content, if the content isn’t good, your strategy is likely to be ineffective. The content creation process is the most important thing a content strategist should master, as well as the ability to see the big picture and build a storyline from scratch, or using existing content.

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In order to create great digital content marketing strategies, your content strategist has to understand your business and your audience. Planning, writing, and editing the content requires good copywriting skills, and you should prioritise those skills when hiring a content strategist.

__Making sure you’re hiring the right person...__

1. __Look for quality__. Read some of their previous work to get a sense of their writing.
2. __Exercises, exercises, exercises!__ Ask your candidate to complete a set of exercises to test their copywriting skills across various channels.
3. __Ask yourself if you’re engaged__. Look for someone with a keen eye for storytelling, much like a journalist. There’s little point in creating content if no one wants to read or engage with it.

### Attention to detail and adaptability skills

The unique ability to see the big picture is a must for all content strategists, but it’s also important for them to pay attention to the tiniest details. Content strategists should deliver quality content to the world, and constantly check for accuracy, consistency, and completion, simply because your company can’t afford to publish content that doesn’t reflect your standard of quality.

For example, executing the brand tone of voice is one of the most important things your content strategist will be responsible for. A good content strategist should have the adaptability and detail-oriented skill to consistently deliver good quality content, whilst following all of the brand’s guidelines.

Whether your new hire is required to write a white paper, an infographic, or a blog post, he or she should be able to adapt the tone of voice to any type of editorial content, and tease the reader’s curiosity, no matter the topic.

__Making sure you’re hiring the right person...__

1. __Give your candidate different briefs__ that will allow you to check whether or not they are able to adapt their writing style to different types of content (emails, blogs, social, guides…) while keep their quality consistently high.
2. __Look for variety in their past work__ - a good copywriter should be able to tailor their writing for whatever industry and whatever audience.

### Organisational skills

Content strategists should be able to constantly know what’s coming their way, how to manage their time and how to prioritise their tasks. Project management tools, calendars, and notes are essential to track ongoing projects and let other teams know how the project is going.

Content strategists typically work with different teams: marketing, design, social media… so it’s important for them to stay organised and communicate with everyone on a regular basis. A content strategist should also be sociable - applicants lacking communication skills shouldn’t apply.

__Making sure you’re hiring the right person…__

1. __Look for multitaskers__. My typical day is usually spent alternating between working at my computer, talking to customers, discussing internal projects, helping colleagues with one-off needs as they come in... Make sure you hire someone who can juggle various responsibilities and doesn’t mind jumping from one project to the other.
2. __Assess their communication skills__. As a content strategist, I have to work with a global team and have adapted my working style in order to work more effectively. Toggl helps with time management, Trello is great for keeping an eye on all the content creation process, from pitching to publishing, and Slack is amazing for communicating with the team internally.
3. __Ask about their process__. Project management tools are great, but a pen and notebook are still my favourite tools to create my daily and weekly to-do lists and take notes when I get genius ideas.



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### Knowledge of the industry

When hiring a content strategist, it’s important to ensure that the candidate is keeping up-to-date with practical solutions for everyday challenges, knows what works best, and reads about sdigital content marketing on a regular basis. While a candidate may be new to the vertical and needs some time to read up on the competition, their knowledge of content strategy and digital content marketing should be as up to date as possible and they should be able to apply their knowledge to any company.

__Making sure you’re hiring the right person…__

1. __Do they know their role?__ The right content strategist should understand the role of content strategy and digital content marketing, should know what captivates people, and should be able to use knowledge to communicate ideas and execute projects, tailored to an industry and an audience.
2. __See if they did their homework.__ Ask the candidate which brands have impressed them with great content strategies.
3. __Ask them about your industry.__ Have they done their research? Have they started seeing how content strategy can improve your company?

Any candidate who is serious about content strategy should always stay informed, which leads me to the fifth and last skill you should look for in a content strategist.

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### Curiosity

Curiosity is essential when it comes to content strategy. Knowing which questions to ask and how to ask them is simply one of the rarest and useful skills driven by curiosity. Curious content strategists are likely to be more creative and solve problems faster when your content strategy is stuck. Indeed, reading a lot, staying up-to-date, and questioning the existing strategy are some of the things curious content strategists should be doing, because there’s always room from improvement.

Questioning their work, continually trying to evolve, write better, and keeping up to date with trends are some of the ways that turn a new content strategist into a successful content strategist, because utilising curiosity always helps improve performance.

That’s why the content strategist you should hire should ask the right questions, and show interest in your business in order to solve your brand’s existing problems with a great and sustainable strategy.

__Making sure you’re hiring the right person…__

1. __Assess their curiosity.__ I like keeping up to date with the latest trends and the best content strategies and campaigns in the industry. Look for someone who has a natural ongoing curiosity about the industry and the latest tools and trends.
2. __Are they acting like an expert in their field?__ Ask your candidate what digital content marketing blogs or online magazines they follow and read, check whether or not they’ve followed the latest content campaigns.
3. __Know their passion.__ Finding someone who’s genuinely passionate about their job is a massive plus as it means they’ll be more curious about trends and industry news.

By getting an understanding of how your potential content strategist sees their position, knows content strategy, and understands your industry, you’ll find the right candidate in no time!

*We’d love to hear your thoughts on the conversation! Tweet us at @Trustpilot using #onTheBlog. If you think we’ve forgotten an important skill, or if you think we’ve overstated one, please do let us know! We’d be happy to know what traits you personally look for when hiring a content strategist...*

Finding the right content strategist to build your digital content marketing strategy

Is your customer experience the best it could be?

Before you answer, take the time to think about the following:

Can your customers contact your business any time, on any channel, on the device of their choice?
Are your customer care team equipped to immediately answer any query that comes their way, with the right information at their fingertips?
Do you provide your customers with an independent feedback service, and engage with them on it?
If the answer to all three isn’t an immediate yes – perhaps your customer experience management needs some improvement..

Some quick stats for you.

You probably know that 81% of people are more likely to work/buy again from a business after experiencing a positive level of service, but did you know that on average this leads to a 5% increase in customer retention?

This matters when you consider that a loyal customer is worth 10 times more than their first purchase value – and acquiring a new customer can be up to 7 times more expensive than retaining a current buyer.

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The good news is new customer technology brands such as Trustpilot, Hootsuite, and of course my own company Gnatta, have developed over the last 5 years to help businesses handle those all-important customer conversations. We’ve come a long way, but I’ve learned some hard truths about how brands still speak with their customers, so I’ve shared some of our learnings below:

__1.      “It’s customer experience management, not customer service”__

Too many brands believe customer experience management is the journey your potential buyers go through, and once that sale is made, all communications then fall into a separate category called customer service. This can prioritise potential new customers – who often fall into the marketing team’s purview - whilst the post-sales support for existing customers sits in a separate department with a separate identity. This can lead to siloed thinking (more on that later), and should be avoided wherever possible. 

The winning business is one who understands customer experience management as touching every part of the customer journey, and should be managed accordingly.

__2.      “The conversation doesn’t end with the sale”__

Too often, the conversation with the customer is brought abruptly to an end once a sale is completed. Extensive communications including adverts, social media, and email end once the transaction is complete. Then people with post-sales queries are often faced with faceless contact centres designed to deflect rather than engage. This attitude can be off-putting for committed customers and lethal for your retention rates. 

Your customer should be as able to contact you following their purchase as before - the experience doesn’t end once payment is taken.

__3.      “Your customers need somewhere to talk”__

Deflection doesn’t just happen on your own website. It’s all too common to see businesses whose sole aim seems to be to stop their customers talking to them and to each other. Customer reviews and comments about your product/service aren’t just a nice to have nowadays, they’re a necessity. The positive though, is that this is incredibly easy to fix -  and by reading this blog you’re in the right starting place. Independent review platforms like Trustpilot aren’t a separate service, they’re part of the overarching customer conversation.

Genuine, independent reviews are part of the bigger conversation. To be a real market leader, your business should curate and service them as such.

So, reviews are a necessity, and they’re actually a growing part of the customer experience management. Did you know that 72% of customers will buy from your brand on the basis of one positive review?

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That’s huge. Of course, you’ll only improve by increasing and managing your review experience as part of your overall interaction with the customer. Note though, that we’re talking about the complete review experience, and that includes the negative ones…

Whatever the review sentiment, it’s important that it’s responded to. Think of it this way: if someone walked out of your store and yelled in the street “This business is amazing and you should definitely shop here”, would you ignore them and pretend you hadn’t heard? Didn’t think so.

Now imagine they left your store and yelled something much less pleasant: “This business is [insert choice word here] terrible, never use them!”. I assume you’ve already bolted from outside to speak to them.

Whether e-commerce, or content, or anything else - your website is your store and the internet is the street outside; and people are shouting there every day.

Fortunately, we have some handy top tips for managing reviews as part of your overall customer experience management:

__1. Be Comprehensive__

Give your operators all the information they need to handle the review on first contact. Seriously, you don’t want to start answering negative reviews by asking them for their order details. Fortunately, with tools like Gnatta, you have an integration between Trustpilot and your other systems. This means linked queries, and giving your operator all the necessary details the moment they go to answer the review.

__2. Be human__

I mean this literally – get a human to answer these queries. AI is already changing the way we do customer experience management (we should know, we’re at the forefront) but reviews, whether good or bad, are the ultimate customer trust exercise. They’re putting their own reputation on the line by speaking about you in public. Respect that, talk back to them with a real voice.

__3. Be resourceful __   
  
Use your other channels to drive reviews. You have a live chat function? Great, you’ve got untapped review possibilities. Solve their query and ask the question, you’d be surprised how much of the most persuasive social proofing comes from customers who’ve experienced a problem that the brand has demonstrably solved. With Trustpilot, you even have the ability to generate links for customers to leave reviews quickly and easily – meaning an increased completion rate.

__4. Be responsive  __
    
Don’t be afraid to engage, but know when to take the conversation private. Whilst every review warrants, and frankly deserves, a response; not every response should be in public. Email, private messages, even the telephone, are all private communications which can be used to defuse situations and demonstrate a level of compassion which can be difficult in the public domain. However, once the query is resolved don’t forget to ask the customer to update their review. It’s an ongoing customer experience after all…

__5. Do not silo __
     
I’ve said it before but I’m going to say it again: don’t manage your reviews in a silo. Ever.

Customer experience management is possibly the most important part of your ongoing growth, and reviews form a large part of this. If you have any strategies for dealing with reviews or stories of how they form part of your customer experience then share them with us; and if you haven’t already, do check out how Gnatta can help your business today!

customer experience management matters

How reviews can fit within your customer experience strategy

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has started the process of repealing Net Neutrality with a 3-2 vote in December of last year. While some states are looking for ways to isolate themselves from the potential federal standard and there may be a chance Congress will reverse the decision - there is still a lot of uncertainty around what will happen with the online market and the industries around it.

Unease around this decision is due to the fact that most are still confused about what Net Neutrality is and what the implications of its repeal are. In this article, I will cover the basics of how Net Neutrality will affect digital marketing and advertising in both positive and negative ways. It’s worth considering what the consequences will be and what the industry should do as a result.

## Should I care about Net Neutrality?

Yes. Net Neutrality protects the users of the Internet from their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) by disabling the ISP’s ability to sell or limit access to any platform (effectively an online service or website) that offers the desired content for the user. Make no mistake, without this principle, the Internet essentially falls into a position where your ISP is making all the decisions regarding its distribution rather than distributing internet access and speed equally.

The implications of allowing this kind of business model to the ISPs limits access to the internet for the average user. Sources that were free and unlimited in access can be bottlenecked or cut completely. Additionally, it enforces bias within platforms (it already exists, but the repeal of Net Neutrality enables it to a ridiculous degree) by cutting off access to companies at the whim of the ISP. Finally, it can lead to censorship of thought and opinion. Such brutal tactics enforced in plain sight are still pretty far away, but we have to think about the big picture when changing the cogs of our society.

## I’m in advertising and marketing - what can I do about it?

You are fine. More than fine actually. The shift in this regulatory control will create space ranging from new audiences you can reach (via the different plans ISPs will sell to your consumers) up to ways you can plan your marketing budget - maximizing every cent you spend per customer. The efficiency of such a system might foster an environment where marketers thrive. If you combine smart decisions with such an effective tool to put them in play - you are looking at some quality profits.

Digital advertising campaigns can be more structured due to the shift in content access. Businesses will most likely advertise via platforms that are offered in the same package. Some Portuguese ISPs have combined packages of platforms according to their functionality. Strategizing around these options (other versions will emerge) will create an interesting competition between bidders for said ad space.

Headset manufacturers could, for example, market themselves via the music package. An ad that is placed with such precision will surely convert more and generate more original engagement. The downside is that marketing on a large scale will require targeting relevant platforms. It will certainly be more expensive than now and companies with a widespread reach or a high marketing spend may experience an increase in their marketing costs.

As we cover in the section below, the fact that consumers won’t have the same access to previously free social platforms, which have become increasingly important to brands. This will affect brands negatively. Widely used platforms will lose their reach and likely drop in users as Net Neutrality prices consumers out, decreasing a company's potential audience and minimizing advertising effectiveness.

## Your consumers won’t be happy

This legislation hits the average user the most. The Internet was simple and easy - almost like plug and play. Without Net Neutrality, it will seem more like a cell phone plan. Losing access to previously free content like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr and other staple sites will create outrage. Consumers want to have freedom in their online experience, not a served salad from their ISP that ends up half-eaten.

Emerging technologies, like VR in digital commerce, will also take a hit due to the tearing of the joint Internet bubble. We could be looking at completely split communities of users, spread across different access points to the internet. Whilst before the internet was a big continent connected by roads - now it could look like a bunch of islands filled with people that can’t build boats.

Tinkering with already tentative attitudes that most users have could make or break Net Neutrality. If the ISPs push too hard, people may cancel their subscriptions or look for an alternative solution. Whatever the outcome, users have to realize that the power is in their hands - as their online activity is the commodity being traded and sold in this case.

## Will prices increase?

Most likely yes. While the digital US advertising industry sits at about $192 billion, without Net Neutrality, that could violently change. Digital billboards will shift hands from the website to the ISPs - giving them the freedom to dictate the rules and prices. It remains unclear as to how exactly ISPs will act with Net Neutrality abolished. This is still an emerging opportunity and it feels like they will still test the waters to see how they can approach this new revenue stream that was unavailable before.

The basic logic of economics suggests that in a state of market change, the ones that adapt the quickest are the ones that have the largest pool of capital. In our case, it’s the big Corporations, the Googles, and the governments of the world. Their new position within the emerging market will most likely sway the position of others - so the most reasonable thing to do is to observe and wait how the market evolves.

This market trend could change ways business is done in eCommerce. If the big hitters agree to the price demanded by the ISPs - this industry will suddenly look cornered despite its stellar growth from the past years. Problems will come to smaller retailers and brands that rely on services by eCommerce promoters and could face a paywall that cannot be overcome. Essentially, access can be cut away from emerging players, which is bad for market competition in general, and for smaller businesses.

## SEO and other content strategies? How do they fit?

It’s debatable, but mostly not so well. The highest bidder will be sold the rights to get the spotlight within the online space, unlike now where a careful tinkering with the parameters of the search engine could give you a heads up against your competition, regardless of budget. This spells bad news for smaller companies as they are already close to the knife’s edge when it comes to balancing their marketing spend.

This is, of course, one way to look at things. Users will still aggregate online in some capacity. Targeting audiences with a much, much wider range of filters can be beneficial, even with increased costs of marketing. SEO will still exist and continue to be complemented with other formulas. While the effectiveness and efficiency will change, it will undoubtedly remain as a marketing practice.

The voice of the people will most likely win this scenario. There are people on both sides of the aisle - with private lives and needs. The intrusive and demanding nature of the Internet post-Net Neutrality is something that could motivate Internet users to rise up against this vote. There is no sign of certainty for the full implications - but we can hope for the best.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Web developers from Sydney suggest that there is still a lot to be played for in this shift. The opportunities for new content are coming and we just have to be patient. With constant monitoring for potential damage control, we only hinder our growth, limiting our nimbleness in the marketplace.

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