Uncomplicate – How to use customer reviews as a growth lever
Uncomplicate by Freshworks brings you crisp and insightful videos which will focus on answering one tactical question around sales & marketing, support & collaboration, employee engagement, and growth.
In an age where the lines between B2B and B2C selling are rapidly blurring, there’s no hiding from the voice of the customer. Not that you should ever be ignoring your customers voice to begin with, but in the digital era we are in now, learning how to listen to what your customers are saying becomes even more crucial. There are multiple review websites, user forums, and such platforms helping B2B vendors stay on top of their game.
Is there a way to leverage these reviews? How can you start using them as a growth lever? I sat down with Adam Goyette, VP of marketing at G2, to talk about how reviews can be used as a growth lever.
Changing buying behaviour
Right at the start of our conversation, Adam dishes out the harsh truth about today’s buying behaviour. Gone are the days when people would go to websites, fill out forms, and wait to be contacted by a representative of the company.
Cut to today, and up to 90% of people do their own research before even getting in touch with a salesperson or engaging with a brand. “And so the power has shifted, and I don’t think marketing’s fully caught up to that kind of shift yet” says Goyette, talking about the vast ground that B2B marketers need to cover.
What are they researching, what are they trying to get out of their research; these are just some of the questions for which finding the answers has become critical.
This is where following and learning from the voice of the consumer comes into play. There are plenty of industry forums and review websites where there are multiple voices chiming in on the most popular opinion. Each review is discussed based on the industry, company size, and many other such factors. The need to focus on such review websites has never been more important.
“90% of the journey is happening outside of your website, and outside of things you control. So I think the way you can use it as a lever for your growth, is to start trying to influence that actual path” Goyette says.
Alternate view to marketing funnels
Gone are the days of traditional marketing funnels, which used to resemble the image below.
While this may still be a fairly accurate representation, what has significantly changed is where information is gathered at each stage. This has subsequently prompted marketers to change their approach as well. Today, the buyers gaze of the vendor has changed from what it once typically was.
“I see two companies. One has no reviews and there’s outdated content on it. Or there’s one that has 500 reviews, and it looks like there’s content I can digest and read about it.”
A buyer is more likely to go with the one that has multiple reviews and more updated content on review websites, simply because it has a stamp of authority.
Here are a few ways you can go about including these reviews at various stages of the funnel:
- Popularising it on social media
- Having them prominently displayed in your landing pages
As Adam signs off, he says: “Getting your head around the space and just being there is one thing, but how do you harness that into every kind of vehicle in terms of the sales and marketing conversation?”
And that’s the bigger question, the bigger picture which we must never lose sight of.
How do you go about listening to the voice of your customers, analyzing their needs, and incorporating that into the bigger picture for your business? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
