How to Effectively Use Customer Reviews in Software Marketing

February 7, 2020
Contributor: Kari Test

Find out how to attract new buyers and improve your software business using your customer reviews.

Software reviews offer incredible ways to enhance your business reputation online and impress more software buyers. In fact, 76% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and 82% of consumers read online reviews when making a purchasing decision.

Reviews are part of developing a successful brand reputation online for your business, but simply collecting reviews isn’t enough. You have to take your review strategy to the next level to reach and impress more buyers. In this article, we cover our top tips to get more value from your reviews and creative ways to showcase your reviews for maximum impact.

 

Tips to get more value from your reviews:

  • Be an active participant. Prioritize review collection efforts as well as how to leverage the reviews you collect to impress your software customers. Reviews are testimonials from clients and are a great resource to stand out in a competitive market, but for them to be effective, you must prioritize taking control of your online reputation.

  • Reply to all your reviews. Not only does replying to your reviews make your reviewers feel that their feedback was appreciated, but it also makes a great impression on your readers (who may be potential customers). Replying to reviews shows that you value all your customers' feedback, and care about your brand — especially when handled quickly and professionally. As an added bonus, it gives you the opportunity to acknowledge any issues flagged. You can easily manage and respond to all reviews right within your Vendor Portal.

  • Don’t get complacent. Once you collect a decent quantity of reviews, don’t stop your efforts. Review recency matters to show that the feedback is still relevant, and is one of the elements of strong reviews. Recent reviews are one of the first attributes that consumers look for when scanning reviews and also help SEO and discoverability online. Learn more about why review recency matters.

The recency of your reviews is an important factor to your strategy, but for those efforts to pay off, buyers have to be able to find your reviews. Let’s discuss some creative ways you can showcase your reviews and reach the most buyers.

 

Six creative ways to leverage your reviews:

  1. Add reviews to your website. The best place to share your reviews and catch the eye of more clients is on your software’s website. Add the a reviews badge, available within your Vendor Portal once your site features at least one user review. Place the review badge in a prominent position on your site for the most impact, such as above the fold on your homepage and on any testimonial pages.

  2. Promote your earned badges. Once you start to collect quality reviews, you can become eligible for various recognition programs such as inclusion in industry-leading reports like Capterra’s Top 20s, Software Advice’s FrontRunner, and GetApp’s Category Leaders. Proudly showcase these earned badges on your website and marketing materials to help you build credibility and stand out to more buyers.

  3. Use review quotes as social proof. Pulling attributed quotes from favorable reviews is a great way to build trust and add social proof to your marketing. Social proof allows your clients to sell your software for you by sharing why they love your product and how it’s helped them see success. You can add these quotes to your website, sales collateral and more. Remember to gain permission if needed, and link back to the review as a best practice.

  4. Share on social media. Sharing reviews is a great addition to your social media content schedule. Social validation is part of the software research process, and posting reviews to your business’ channel is another way to reach buyers. Simply link to your recent review and thank the user for their feedback. You can also directly ask for reviews from your social audience to add to your ongoing review recruitment stream.

  5. Host contests and special promotions. Add review contests and dedicated campaigns into your marketing calendar throughout the year to naturally add review collection and sharing to your business cycle. Remember, review collection can’t just be done once or twice a year because recency is so important. Use your newly collected reviews to keep testimonials fresh to really leverage their impact.

  6. Showcase reviews at event. Beyond your website and marketing materials, be sure to promote reviews badges and earned awards at every event. This builds trust, generates attention for your reviews and boosts your credibility with event attendees. Also, add review collection efforts, like review collection stations, to your next event to generate more new reviews from active participants and users of your product.

Download our Reviews E-Book for more help in tapping user feedback to improve your software business.

 

Kari Test

Kari Test is a Manager on the Vendor Marketing team at Gartner Digital Markets. Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, Kari graduated from Elon University before moving to the Washington, D.C. area. In her free time, she loves exploring Old Town Alexandria, traveling and trying new recipes. Connect with Kari on LinkedIn.
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