User feedback should not be regarded as a “helpful” aspect of your marketing strategy. Today, you should recognize it as a cornerstone of how your business communicates. From online reviews and social media comments to surveys and support tickets, every piece of feedback affects how your audience experiences your brand, impacting brand perception, customer loyalty, and consumer relationships.
Blue Zone Marketing knows that successful brands don’t just listen to their customers; they let the customer help create their brand. So, how does user feedback directly impact brand perception, and how can it be harnessed to develop trust, expand growth, and stay ahead of the competition?
Online Feedback is Today’s Word of Mouth
Advertising and polished PR are insufficient to improve brand perception with hyperconnected consumers. Today, your buyer audience has mobile megaphones, and they regularly use them. Whether it’s a raving review on Google or a frustrated viral tweet, ever-changing user feedback has a ripple effect, spreading quickly and influencing countless potential customers.
Nearly every consumers will readily admit that online reviews influence their purchasing decisions. The takeaway? Your customers’ online voices count, and your brand’s reputation is either enhanced or diminished by those user reviews.
Authenticity is Everything
People trust other people. One of the most potent aspects of user feedback is its authenticity—something that no amount of slick marketing can guarantee. Your audience will connect more to a fellow customer than to marketing copy, and you’ll never be able to replicate the power of consumer voices in your advertisements. With consumer skepticism generally high, trust is the top ingredient that encourages brand loyalty. So how can you build trust?
Celebrating five-star reviews and glowing testimonials is easy and important. But you can sometimes showcase your company’s best aspects when you embrace criticism as an opportunity, rather than a threat.
Capitalizing on Negative Reviews
Believe it or not, negative feedback can enhance your brand’s credibility when you address the feedback well and resolve a customer’s issues. Consumers are willing to let you be human and make a mistake now and then; in fact, they may have an unspoken but inherent distrust in a company that always appears to be “perfect”—because no one is perfect. Your transparent and thoughtful response exhibiting accountability, engagement, a commitment to continuous improvement, and that you value every customer can build trust better than a perfunctory “Thank you” to a positive rating. In other words, exhibiting integrity in the face of adversity lends your brand credibility.
Even more, customers who share poor experiences give you a roadmap for improvement and the opportunity for a second chance. The right response can turn a dissatisfied customer into a brand advocate. Even better, it sends your whole consumer audience a message about your brand’s values, which can leave a more positive impression than if you had never received the poor rating. Most customers have been burned before by one company or another; if they believe and know ahead of time that your company won’t treat them that way, they are more open to giving your company a try.
Data-Driven Insights
User feedback is also a data goldmine. Patterns in commentary can uncover your blind spots, reveal hidden obstacles to your success, spark innovation, and help you prioritize areas of improvement throughout your business. Whether you’re launching a new product, refining your website experience, or planning a rebrand, user feedback provides the insights you need to make informed, user-centric decisions that will make your brand more user-focused. By analyzing and applying this data, you can truly satisfy your customers’ needs.
Creating a Consumer-Centered Culture
So, how do you harvest user feedback and transform it into a brand asset? Here are some suggestions:
- Proactively Ask: Show you care by taking the initiative and asking. Encourage customers to share their opinions through post-purchase surveys, follow-up emails, or in-app prompts.
- Sharing is Easy: Streamline the feedback process by offering simple forms, mobile-friendly options, and multiple channels, demonstrating how much you truly desire your customers’ feedback.
- Listen Actively: Skip skimming comments. Instead, monitor social media, review platforms, and customer service logs to better gauge your audience’s perceptions.
- Respond Thoughtfully: Acknowledge all feedback, good and bad. Thank users for all input and demonstrate grace-filled professionalism with both positive and negative comments.
- Learn, Then Act: Share updates, celebrate changes, and let users know when their feedback directly influences an improvement, emphasizing their involvement in the brand’s development.
Long-Term Brand Impact
Brands that consistently listen to their clientele and readily adapt how they operate based on user input build in resilience and foster brand allegiance. At Blue Zone Marketing, we’ve seen firsthand how feedback-driven strategies can elevate a brand no matter the industry. When customers feel heard, their appreciation creates a ripple effect. They stay loyal to the brand that was loyal to them, whether by repeat or increased purchases or by recommending the brand online and in person. Appreciated feedback fuels growth.
User feedback can be more than commentary; it can be the narrator in your brand’s story. This valuable resource can position your brand as providing authentic value to your audience, generating a feeling of being part of something exciting.
Want to help your loyal audience make your brand stand out? Blue Zone Marketing specializes in finding ways for you to build authentic, trust-driven connections with your audience. Contact Blue Zone Marketing today to learn more.