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

Trustpilot Blog: Build Trusted Brand

Reviews - Build a Trusted Brand

photo-1522071820081-009f0129c71c

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

Trustpilot Home Page

# What to look for in a customer review software

Various kinds of customer review software (or platforms) have different benefits, pros, and cons. Before you start your search for the right review solution for your company, you need to ask yourself what your company needs are first.

## Why do you need a customer review software?

At Trustpilot, we’ve helped companies collect and manage their reviews for a multitude of reasons and we always find a way to solve their problems. Some of the most common challenges we’ve come across include companies wanting:

- To improve (or build) their reputation
- A way to obtain customer feedback
- To engage with customers directly
- A way to improve their business in a customer-centric way
- To improve their SEO, marketing, conversion, or sales
- A way to improve their brand perception
- To leverage user-generated content in their marketing

If you’re the kind of company that wants to improve your marketing, connect with customers, build a reputation, and better your business, then it’s time to look for a customer review software.

### Important qualities to look for


Once you’ve figured out how a customer review software will help your business, you’re ready to shop around. Here are some important questions to ask:

### Is the customer review software company a Google Review partner? 

If not, then you can’t get Google Seller Ratings, those yellow stars that show up on your AdWord campaigns.

Google Seller Ratings show up on Arc'teryx's Google Ads

search results page showing yellow stars on adword results

Arc'teryx Google Seller Ratings examples

These Google Seller Ratings can increase click-through-rates on ads by up to 10%, on average. Without them, you’re missing out on valuable traffic and potential sales.

### Does the company offer an open platform for reviews? 

Companies with open platforms allow __any__ customer to leave a review for __any__ company. Review companies with closed platforms only allow customers to leave a review when invited. There are two issues with this:

- A closed platform offers transparency issues and won’t give customers an accurate picture of a company’s reputation. So, if you’re having reputation and trust issues, a closed platform won’t help.
- With a closed platform, consumers won’t be able to find you or your reviews as they research your company and your products. An open platform increases your discoverability.

### How easy is it to collect reviews?

Collecting reviews can be an arduous task. If the review solution you have an eye on doesn’t make it any easier, move on. The right software should allow you to automate the review collection process and the collection method should fit within your existing business process.

### Does the software allow you to display your reviews on multiple channels?

What’s the point of collecting reviews and getting a great reputation if you can’t tell the world? The right customer review software should let you easily display your reviews on social media, your website, your emails, and even on your offline marketing.

### What integrations does the software provide?

The right customer review software should make your job easier, not harder. Find the software that hooks up with your eCommerce platforms, your preferred social media sites, and more.

### Do your reviews show up as schema markup?

Schema markup is a technical language that websites can use to directly communicate to Google for improved SEO. Product Reviews displayed as schema markup can also lead to Review Snippet Stars, which are yellow stars that show up on __organic search results__, often resulting in higher search traffic.


Review snippet stars on LensDirect’s google search result led to a 45% click-through rate increase

Search results showing LensDirect's yellow stars with rating and number of reviews

LensDirect rich snippets SERP

Review snippet stars 

If a customer review software doesn’t help you get review snippets, keep looking.

### Can you respond to your reviews?

Having the opportunity to respond to your customers in real time can provide major advantages for your company. You’ll be able to resolve any potential customer issues as soon as they occur. And by engaging with your customers publicly, other shoppers who are doing their research will see that you’re committed to your customers, giving you a leg up on the competition.

## Why Trustpilot is the right choice

> __"Trustpilot has been an absolute game changer for our business since we began using the software several years ago. Not only has it solidified our online reputation, which is crucial in the jewelry business, its vast framework of advanced tools and features has allowed our star ratings to be featured in our organic search results as well. This has resulted in improved search visibility and conversion rates across our site, leading to tremendous sales growth for our business. Gaining insight from our customers has been tremendously valuable in allowing us to constantly improve our online shopping platform.” - Leon Rbibo, President, [The Pearl Source](https://www.thepearlsource.com/)__

Let’s make your search easy. Trustpilot is the customer review software you’re looking for. Here are just some of our benefits.

- We’re a licensed Google Review Partner so you can be assured that Google Seller Ratings are within your reach if you use Trustpilot.
- We’re an open review platform that has over 40 million reviews and over 200,000 online businesses reviewed.
- We have various methods of review collection processes, allowing you to automate review emails and reminders in a way that fits your business.
- Our TrustBox widgets come in a variety of sizes and options (and are customizable) for you to easily display on all your digital marketing channels - no coding necessary!
- Our software gives you the freedom to respond to reviews, easily display reviews on all social media platforms, and has integrations with all the major eCommerce platforms.

If you want to learn more about Trustpilot, our integrations, and what we can do for your reputation, your marketing, and your company, just request a demo below. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can to show you why Trustpilot is the right customer review software for you.


Why Trustpilot could be the right customer review software for your business

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.

giphy

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.



giph 3

### 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.

giphy (1)

### 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

visual-marketing-reviews-image-generator

You’ll be pleased to know that visual content marketing is dominating the social network scene in 2017. And this trend is likely to continue throughout the rest of this year and the next.

Images are analysed and processed 60,000 faster than text, making it easier for the human brain to recognise a familiar subject in a picture. By comparison, It takes the brain longer to process a sentence and understand what subject it’s covering.

Today, pictures and videos bring more traffic to websites than written content. In this environment where visual content is dominating the share of attention, it’s necessary for businesses to adapt their strategy to ensure they're engaging with their audience visually.

We’ve gathered the most up-to date data to help you define the right social media strategy for your company and increase your business’s customer engagement in the long run. We’ll also go through social media best practices, complete with image guidelines. At the end of the article, we have a special announcement you’ll be happy to hear.

## Why visual content marketing is taking over

As most social media experts envisioned a couple of years ago, social media is changing, and visual content is growing considerably, with 20 times more engagement on posts with pictures, and 94% more views on articles with images in 2017. BuzzSumo analysed over 1 million articles and came to the conclusion that pieces of written content featuring an image every 75 to 100 words received more than double the social media shares than articles with less visual content.

While blogging remains one of the most popular way to share information online, taking 38% of the share, visual marketing is slowly taking over and is now being used by 37% of marketers as part of their content strategy.

The rise of apps like Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat, with over 500 million users and 9,000 photos shared per second, have led to other social platforms evolving and establishing more visual-friendly platforms. 74% of social media experts admit posting and sharing images as part of their social strategy, ahead of blog posts (68%), and videos (60%).

As visual content marketing continues to grow, 60% of consumers consider themselves more likely to contact a company when their local search results includes an image.

## Twitter and Facebook by the numbers

Twitter has been constantly evolving for the past couple of years. With the ability to add visuals without taking up the 140 character limit, people are now sharing more pictures, tagging friends, taking screenshots of funny conversations, and commenting on photos. With a 140 characters limit, it can sometimes be difficult to convey a message. But with images, users have more flexibility in their clarity of messaging.

In 2017 so far, tweets with images received 150% more retweets, 18% more clicks, and 89% more favorites than tweets without images!

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Whether you’re a Twitter user or not, it’s hard to deny that visual content is the easiest way to captivate your audience’s attention.

If you’re a regular Facebook user, you might have noticed that images and videos are literally everywhere on our news feeds. Today, Facebook posts with images bring on average 2.3 times more engagement than regular posts without any form of visual content.

Posts with videos or photos bring more organic Facebook engagement than any other posts, with an average engagement rate of 13.8%. Facebook has observed a 37% higher level of engagement for photos over text.

It’s official, visual content marketing is now more successful than any other form of communication. Including it in your social strategy is no longer an option, it’s a necessity.

If you’re looking to attract more customers via social media platforms, here are the 2017 best practices and size guides for long-term social media success...

## Your Photos Size Guide by platform

Looking to include more images in your posts? Worried you might not know enough about visual content marketing?

Worry no more!

We’ve put together an image size guideline to help you nail your social media strategy on every single platform.

Trustpilot image size guide

## Featuring the new Trustpilot Image Generator

### Improving customer engagement on social media

As you can see, visual marketing is hot right now.

At Trustpilot, we understand how important it is for customers to interact with businesses on social channels during the different stages of the buying journey. But we also know that online reviews could also help you attract more customers via social platforms. 80% of consumers said they’d be more likely to purchase from a brand if they saw positive user reviews on the company’s Facebook page.

Sharing online reviews on social media helps your content stay personal and up to date, while helping you stand out from the competition and grow your online reputation.

Our team of experts works hard to constantly improve the Trustpilot platform in order to help businesses like yours achieve long-term success. So this year, we’ve decided to follow the visual content marketing trends, and combine images with online reviews to launch the Image Generator.

image generator TP example 1

Our new tool allows you to easily share customer feedback on social media via beautiful images. But why tell you ourselves? Let’s see what some early adopters have to say about it.

Director of Formula Botanica

TP Formula Botanica image generator example

TP image generator example 2

The generator helps you build a strong visual content strategy while still targeting a wider audience, driving more engagement from users, increasing click-through rate, and bringing quality leads to your website by easily sharing reviews as beautiful images.

Want to learn how you can take advantage of reviews in your social media marketing? Request a demo and we'll show you how Trustpilot can help your business.

Your complete guide to visual content marketing for your social media strategy

nasa-53884-unsplash

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.

sirkin research

How the end of Net Neutrality will affect the digital marketing world

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Building trust can boost your website’s conversions. There’s so much data to prove it that you have to wonder if we even need the data to prove it. Some things are just intuitive to all of us – like knowing how to get other people to like and trust us, for our mutual benefit.

Ultimately, websites are designed for human beings. Trust is the basic currency of human beings. Beyond the metrics and the KPIs, there are some aspects of web design that can be relied on to increase trust, with or without the research to support them.

Dropbox are masters of celebrating their people.

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### 1. Use photos of your team

Every business has people at its heart, and audiences often respond more positively when they can see the faces behind the brand. There’s no shortage of research out there to prove that humanising1 your online content with photos of people increases trust and conversion rates – but it’s something each of us knows instinctively.

We’re social creatures, and we’re hardwired to connect with other people. Even on the phone we instinctively have trust for a human voice, and no trust for an automated message. There’s simply no one there to trust. When there’s no sign of a human on the other end, be it a phonecall or a website, we can’t form a connection and we can’t form trust.

In the words of Seth Godin, “the internet is a connection engine”. Increase the human aspects of your website, and you increase your chances of fostering trust among your audience.

Reebok’s design reflects its audience and the emotions driving them.

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### 2. Reflect your audience accurately in your design

Great web design boils down to great usability. Your site’s design has to make it clear that you know and understand the people who are using your website – and what problems they’re trying to solve.

The more you know about your audience and what they want, the more closely you’ll be able to meet their needs in your site’s look, feel and functionality. How long are they prepared to spend browsing your site? Do they need something for themselves, or someone else? Why do they want what they want, and how much are they typically prepared to pay for it? Does your site match their expectations, or just your own?

These are questions that could be answered through surveys and analytics… but they can also be answered simply by emailing around your own team to ask about their experiences, reading your customer reviews, and gradually implementing change.

Purple Bricks devotes plenty of space to its consumer trust.

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### 3. Make the most of your reviews

You already know the power of consumer reviews to influence what you buy. It’s the reason you’ve got more time for Which? and Amazon star ratings than you do for the sales copy of the vendors you browse. We all have more time and trust for the opinions of people with no vested interest in the things we’d like to buy.

It’s important to display your customer reviews where your visitors will benefit most from them. But it’s also important to think about using the power of trusted independent brands in how you present those reviews.

Client testimonials are informative and establish trust, but there’s still the assumption that they’ve been chosen carefully to show your brand in the best light. But when visitors see the logo of an independent reviews site via a plugin on your own homepage, the authenticity and trust you want to establish has come from a powerful third-party source – where the negative reviews can’t be hidden away.

The Jewel Hut's light page design creates a fast, high-quality browsing experience.

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### 4. Establish invisible trust

Which part of every website is invisible and immaterial, but makes all the difference in whether a visitor will use it and trust it, or leave the site altogether? Load speed is an often-overlooked factor of great web design. Even the most beautiful websites will see depressingly low traffic if they take forever to load.

The time it takes for your site to load and navigate is a critical, unseen aspect of its design. A sluggish website can erode our trust rapidly and even raise the suspicion of viruses being present, prompting us to click back to Google within a matter of seconds for a more promising, energetic site in the search results.

High-performance web hosting is a major factor in improving your site’s load speed, but you can also optimise your site’s design for a swifter, slicker user experience. Make your web pages smaller (and therefore lighter) by split-testing new designs and removing lower-value sections; make sure you’re using the optimal file types for your images, which are ‘saved for web’; break up large, heavy pages into multiple smaller ones; make your navigation as clear as possible; and get an expert developer to check if your site’s code could be cleaner and more refined… or even rewritten.

Bose use a Comodo SSL featuring green padlock icons in both the address bar and the footer.

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### 5. …And increase the visible kind too

A key component of trust is the feeling of being safe and secure, and online that often comes down to the use of a solid SSL certificate on your payment pages, which encrypts customers’ financial data when they make a purchase.

However, not all SSLs are created equal. Higher-end SSLs make more use of visible trust markers on your website, such as eye-catching seals and the ability to turn your user’s browser address bar a nice, safe-looking green.

Your website is likely to be the first place customers will look before contacting or visiting you, or making a purchase. For this reason, it’s important to balance the information displayed on each page to avoid overloading your visitors. A well-designed FAQ page can help to solve this – a page which addresses real questions and concerns from your previous customers, with detailed answers. A great FAQ page addresses customers’ needs, and helps to create trust.

'Establishing trust in ecommerce is also about showing your customers what they’re about to buy from you as fully and accurately as possible, and providing clear proof that you’re a legitimate vendor. As well as making your trusted product/partner brands clear to see on your homepage and product pages, you could also look to refine your product pages’ design – representing products as accurately as possible with large photos, detailed information, video overviews, 360-degree rotating product images and downloadable PDF guides.

__Along with obvious trust markers like testimonials and independent consumer reviews, winning your visitors’ trust can sometimes be as straightforward as ensuring your site’s design, hosting, features and functionality are up to date with the competition – or even ahead of them.__

5 Intuitive web design tips to increase consumer trust

The basic concept of referral marketing is to empower customers to refer your business, also known as word of mouth marketing. The best way for an eCommerce business to get started is to make it easy for customers to share their experiences. 

Many eCommerce stores explore multiple channels to market their business but referral marketing is a particularly valuable  option for  eCommerce. Why?

As it turns out, people are 4 times more likely to buy from a business when referred by a friend. Every single day consumers use word of mouth to spread awareness of their favorite brands via social media, email, and natural conversation. When a business taps into their customer’s existing interactions and pairs it with their referral program, it can vastly improve customer acquisition at a lower cost than traditional marketing.

Many eCommerce stores are already exploring this market by using different social channels to promote their business. Since referral marketing also relies heavily on these channels, the two fit seamlessly together, increasing revenue, customer loyalty, and lowering customer churn rates.

So what is Referral Marketing?

The basic concept of referral marketing is to make it easy for customers and partners to refer your business. This concept taps into word of mouth as it encourages customers to talk about your brand.

The easiest way an eCommerce company can tap into this magic is by equipping customers with the necessary tools like referral  marketing.

Here are 10 reasons referral marketing should be used by eCommerce stores.  



### 1. Referral Marketing is Easy to Implement

The process of setting up a referral program has been made more efficient and easier because of referral marketing software. With the  use of referral software, many eCommerce businesses are able to easily add a referral program to their site without worrying about coding or working from scratch.

The referral marketing process is perfect for eCommerce because most eCommerce stores are already tracking their customers. This means referral marketing software can easily be implemented into their existing process with less friction.  

### 2. It Beefs Up Your Emails

Chances are your eCommerce company has already set up drip emails or trigger emails for certain actions and events. Many businesses choose to streamline this process to mention and promote their referral programs. Since customers are already viewing your emails, it's a great way to increase referral program engagement.

To turn it up a notch, businesses who use email receipts and confirmation emails have a better chance at promoting their referral  program. This is because transactional emails have a higher rate at being opened by the consumer over other types of email.

Post-purchase emails are the perfect time to work on customer retention. Typically, customers are quite happy post-purchase. This makes it an excellent time to ask for a referral and get the customer to come back again.

Take a look at how Overtone uses this strategy with a simple ‘make you want to click’ image.

### 3. It Gives A New Meaning to Coupons

Everyone loves coupons. They motivate people to take action. In referral marketing, incentives like gift cards are the way to go and eCommerce stores have the advantage of providing coupons and store discounts. Many eCommerce stores sell items that will keep customers coming back anyway. By combining referral marketing with return discounts, eCommerce companies have a better way of leveraging new business.

Give a coupon code in exchange for a new customer. It will motivate the customer and reward them for their efforts. In exchange, you  have another sale from your existing customer and a new customer as well.

Be sure the referral program isn’t competing with other store promotions. If your business usually has sales or active discounts, be sure the referral program incentives are ‘worth it’ for the customer. They might not refer if they can access discounts some other way.

For example, you can amp up the referral program incentive are by offering a higher discount or an exact dollar amount off the purchase.  If you regularly offer 10% coupons, try using something like 25% off or $15 store credit for every referral. This way the incentive is more  rewarding, justifying the extra effort a customer has to put in.

### 4. Referral Marketing is Social Media Friendly

Many eCommerce sites thrive by social media and referral marketing fits right in on this experience as well. Since most referral software offers easy social sharing buttons, it makes it incredibly simple for online stores to automate and track referrals.

Referral marketing for eCommerce also [builds social proof](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/what-is-social-proof-and-why-is-it-important-for-marketing). When your customer’s social audience see them sharing your business, they will feel more inclined to check out who you are. This simple action adds to your credibility.  84% of people trust the recommendations from friends and family, making this a proven way to market a business.

### 5. Referrals Provide Cost Effective Marketing

People like to brag about good experiences. That bragging is an easy way to get your business out there by using word of mouth marketing - a key component of referral marketing.

Businesses who use referral marketing definitely reap the benefits. Not only is it more cost effective than traditional advertisements, but its reach is pretty outstanding. Typically, customers refer their friends who they think will be interested in your company or likely to be in your target market. That means you don’t have to put forth the effort to find these people on your own.  

If a referral becomes a customer they can then join your referral program. Then they will share your information with all their friends. You have essentially created a new community of customers, all because you used your existing customers to market for you.

### 6. It Leads to Good Reviews

People write reviews when a business makes them feel a certain way. Think about when you research a product or business. People like to praise, and people like to vent. This is one of the reasons people read reviews. They like to see the best and worst things about the business.

It’s a lot easier to get customers to provide feedback or leave a good review if they feel emotionally invested in your business. Referral marketing has a positive impact on your customer’s emotional response to your company.

Referral marketing acts as a primer for happy reviews. Many customers who participate in a referral program will provide a review if asked. Why? If they’ve become an advocate and are referring your company to others, they are more likely to be happy and willing to help you out.

People who refer essentially become brand advocates as soon as they vouch for your business, whether they realize it or not. Brand advocates are an essential part of your business’s growth. When they feel like they are a part of the team, they are more than willing to help whenever possible.

### 7. It Creates Return Shoppers

Referral marketing creates repeat customers. Especially if the incentive involved is a return discount. When someone refers a friend, it is a pretty clear indicator that they like your business and are more likely to buy from you again. When you offer a return incentive on top of that, creating return shoppers is pretty much a guarantee.

Referral marketing can help build the relationship between the business and the customer. It’s a mutually beneficial system, where both parties see the benefit of participating.

### 8. Referral Marketing Helps You Find Your Influencers

When someone is constantly sending you referrals it means they’re a huge fan. Good referral marketing will allow you to track your top referrers. This is important because these people could be your perfect influencers and advocates. Typically, influencers have a high social media following and have an easy time getting their followers to listen.

You may not have superpowers, but you can definitely make your top performing customers happy. Tracking referral patterns can help you narrow down your top referrers. If you have superstar referrers, you should figure out a way to reward them. Whether it be reaching out to personally, or providing an extra incentive. A little thank you and recognition can go a long way.

### 9. It Builds Trust Within Your Brand

It’s no secret, referrals are trustworthy. People prefer recommendations from their friends and influencers above traditional marketing tactics. This means an eCommerce company is more likely to receive a good lead if that person was referred. Good leads have a stronger sense of established trust in your business because someone they know has sent them to you.

Typically, when someone is referred, there is a higher chance of immediate purchase. This is mainly because people trust that their friends are not sending them to some doup of a business. Typically, your customers won’t refer you if they don’t think you’re good. Why? Because their reputation is on the line too.  Because of referrals, your business is now fortified with trust.

### 10. It Makes Customization Easier

Plenty of eCommerce sites try to set up their own referral program. However, they quickly realize how many components are involved in the making of a referral program. This can lead to a lot of broken and poorly executed parts. It’s one thing to track referral codes, it’s another to track rewards, fraud detections, and statistics. You can see how this process can quickly become overwhelming.

Some eCommerce stores have given up on referral programs because of this. They spend hours working on a referral program trying to build the infrastructure themselves but don’t quite have the knowledge to get it running. This is why referral marketing software is so handy. A business can use software to create their referral program quickly and then simply embed their program on their site. This takes little effort and can be done in no time at all. Leaving them time to focus on what they do best.

Referral marketing is made for eCommerce
There is no better way to get new customers than by having someone personally recommend your business. If you take the time to provide customers with a great experience, there is no doubt they will share that experience with their friends.

If you’re already seeing recommendations come in, you should start implementing a formal referral program. Providing an easy way to refer your business can really boost what you’re already experiencing.

Referral marketing helps build social recognition and we all know [social proof is one of the keys to marketing success](https://us.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/6-social-proof-examples-to-boost-conversions-today).

*To learn more about referral marketing and referral marketing software, visit [Referral Rock](https://referralrock.com/). They believe every business has the potential to increase their word of mouth and they help unlock that potential by making it easy for customers to refer and businesses to operate. Check out their [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/referralrock/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ReferralRock) page to learn more about Referral Rock.*

To find our more about Trustpilot, read our free *Complete Guide to Reviews* [here](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/the-complete-guide-to-reviews).

coffee shop

10 reasons why referral marketing is perfect for eCommerce

Trustpilot #FAQ

Regardless of what industry your business is in, your current customers and potential customers are using social media on a daily basis. They are interacting with their favourite brands through social media and looking for new intriguing ones to follow.

If you’re not speaking to your target audience on a social media network, then you’re missing out on a great opportunity to connect. Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are powerful marketing tools that can bring remarkable success to your business. By leveraging the unique potential these platforms provide, you can increase traffic to your website, raise brand awareness, create a brand identity and positive brand association, and improve communication and customer interaction.

But it’s not easy. With all the social media noise, it’s hard to keep your audience engaged and connected to your brand. To keep customers attentive and engaged, you need to share relevant and personality-packed content.

Easier said than done. So how can you create successful content like this and what does it look like? Well, here are some key things to consider...

## Visual content is key to social success

The best way to engage viewers is with visual content. Visual content includes pictures, images, illustrations, infographics, and videos. This type of content is dominating the share of attention evidenced by the rise of social apps like Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat.

dreamy photos+(1)

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Twitter discovered that including an image in your social media post can increase engagement by an average of 35%.

Facebook has observed a 37% higher level of engagement for photos over text.

## Your reviews =  Marketing content

Company reviews speak to a seller’s trustworthiness, reputation, and customer experience. Your reviews provide social proof, and your customer’s voice is the most useful tool you could ever use. People prefer recommendations from their friends, influencers, and their community, above any other traditional marketing tactics.

A study done by McCarthy Group research revealed that 84% of millennials do not trust advertising anymore.

Image generated by Trustpilot’s Image Generator

80% of consumers said they’d be more likely to purchase from a brand if they saw positive user reviews on the company’s Facebook page.

## Customer advocacy tells an honest story

Customer advocacy is letting your customers tell your story. It can take the form of a customer’s video testimonial, images of them using your product/service, or reviews. Customer advocacy triggers a high level of emotion from the customer, making it a leading marketing tactic by major companies like IKEA, Coca-Cola, and Lululemon as you can see below. The high level of customer engagement builds a strong relationship between customer and brand.

47% of Millennials trust user-generated content, compared to 25% which trust content owned by brands.

Want more tips on creating social media content?

Check out our webinar “[Your Guide to Creating Engaging Social Media Content](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQJEtaclYyA)” During the webinar, participants were able to submit their questions regarding social media content - below, we’ve answered some of the questions raised in detail.

__Q: If your products aren't particularly exciting, but are a necessity how would you suggest encouraging social media sharing?__

A: Don't get discouraged just because your product is not the ‘coolest thing on the block’ - continue to be active on social media and find exciting ways to show how customers engage with your product.

This is a perfect chance to get really creative and brainstorm brand associations you want to have that can add more to your social media posts. Many brands that sell “boring” products like Charmin (toilet paper), Mr. Clean (cleaning products), and Old Spice (deodorant) use humor, appeal, and emotion to amp up their social media and get shoppers engaged and talking.

If your product isn't that compelling on its own, then share an image of people using your product or share something that your brand associates with or your company loves to celebrate. Here is an article from Content Creator on examples of how "boring"  brands are killing it on social media and an article from Hubspot that discusses how brands have made their "boring" products more fun using humor. Think big, even if your marketing budget is small - the best ideas cost nothing. Take a page from Charmin's hashtag campaign "#tweetfromtheseat", which is used by Charmin often but also encourages users to post on their own using the hashtag.

__Q: How can a B2B company succeed in social media?__

A: If you’re a B2B business, it's still important to be active on a social media channels. However, you need to ensure that you’re on a channel most suitable for reaching your customers. In most cases, B2B businesses will find greater success on LinkedIn and Twitter as opposed to Facebook or Instagram. However, before you write-off a channel, do some investigation, such as tracking where your leads derive from, to get a clear idea on which channel would be most effective.

When it comes to B2B social media content, it's always a great idea to share useful information, such as articles or blogs that you have written or third-party articles relevant to your audience. A great example of this knowledge sharing, is our very own #FAQFriday that our marketing team has started, where we offer more information and details to our business customer's questions. This article is only one touchpoint - we’re continuing the conversation on social in order to capture a larger, more relevant audience.

When posting, opt for brevity and throw in an image once in awhile about your product or service and share a fun fact. People are also very interesting, so share something cool about your employees or new hires. Remember, while you’re a company marketing to other companies, ultimately, it’s people talking to people, so be friendly, be personal, and be nice!

__Q: Regarding the Image Generator, Facebook will only allow 20% of text on the images (without getting a lower reach). Isn't that a problem?__

A: Facebook's 20% text on image rule is for Facebook ads, not your own images that you share on your profile. Therefore, while you should still be conscious of how much text you include in your profile posts, there is no restriction. However, if you would like to use the Trustpilot Image Generator to create Facebook ads, then yes, you must be mindful of this. You can use Facebook's Overlay Tool to test your ad images. Just upload your desired image and Facebook will tell you your expected ad reach with your current text overlay.

__Q:  Do company-created posts really count as user generated content? Would it be better to encourage customers to share their review on their timeline instead?__

A: Company created posts do not count as user generated content. User generated content can only come directly from the customer, making it a much stronger piece of content as customers are sharing their personal experience with the product, service or brand. What your customers have to say about your brand is much more valuable to shoppers than what you have to say about your own service or product. User generated content is often shared on your customer's own social media page and then tagged (linked to) or hash-tagged (#) to the company's own social media page.

Companies can then repost their customer's post to also have it on their own company social media profile. Encourage your customers to generate posts and share their thoughts and experience with your service or product by tagging your social media page or using a unique hashtag that is used by just your brand.

If you have more questions about social media or want to learn how Trustpilot can help you improve your social media performance, check out our guide introducing the Image Review Generator or just request a demo by clicking the image below.

*We’d love to hear your thoughts on the conversation! Tweet us at @Trustpilot using #onTheBlog and #FAQFriday. If you think we’ve overlooked anything, ask away!*

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