Let’s say you’re going out to eat at a local restaurant tonight for a date. If given the choice, would you rather trust a ad in the newspaper, or a friend’s opinion? Chances are, you would chose the friend’s opinion. Why is that? It’s because we tend to value other’s experiences more than we do a business’s advertisements. We like to hear stories. In a great way, customer reviews of your services and online store can be that “friend’s opinion” that will get customers to trust your business.

According to a recent survey by Deloitte & Touche USA, 99% of us find consumer-generated online reviews to be credible. What does this mean? It means that reviews often influence your customers more than an ad can. So if you know your online store and service is top-of-its-class quality, then why not let others talk your business up for you? The whole purpose of customer reviews is to grant the consumer knowledge to make an informed decision; and that, for consumers, engenders trust in your business.

Encouraging your customers to leave reviews can help new customers feel secure in their choice to choose your service over someone else’s. Most of the largest online stores do this—such as Amazon. In asking their customers to review their services, online store, and overall customer experience, they build customer trust and keep their buyers informed when making a purchase.

So, lets say you would like to start generating customer feedback and reviews. Where would you start? Here are some sites and strategies I recommend when starting to cultivate online reviews of your business.

• AllQuilting.biz
  
  This site is an online business directory for anything related to quilting. Customers go to this site to leave reviews of online businesses as well as to recommend sites to their friends. Signup is quick and free.
  
  
• Find My Fabric.com
  
  This site is an online fabric quilting supply search engine. It is a free way for customers to leave reviews about their experience with businesses across the web. With an easy to navigate search engine, customers can read what others have said about your service.
  
  
• Facebook.com
  
  How many millions of people use Facebook on a daily basis? What a well-know and wonderful (not to mention free) network available for business owners to get the word out about their company. Facebook is a great place for others to discuss your awesome service. Encourage your customers to leave a wall post on your Facebook page about their experience with your business.

You could also set up Google Alert (As discussed in our previous newsletter) to let you know when someone has left a review on your site about your business. This way you can track customer satisfaction with ease, always being up-to-date on what others are saying about your service.

Getting the word out about your online storefront and business doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as a full-on ad campaign—it can be as simple as signing up with any of the review services mentioned above. Start allowing your customers the ability to give reviews on their experience with your business today. It is not only an effective way to gain the trust of new customers, but is also a great way to help spread the word about your business.

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