We all want to make better buying decisions. That’s why we turn to online review platforms, before taking the big step. But for SaaS companies, review platforms can be far more beneficial than just influencing purchasing decisions. They are actually the best place to get to know the users and the market.
It’s a fact that customer reviews work as a type of digital word-of-mouth. They heavily impact user trial or purchasing decisions. This makes software review platforms spaces where real users gather to “gossip” about products.
By setting your ear to their sayings, you will not only listen to happy and unsatisfied customers. You will also hear about their jobs-to-be-done, the language they use to describe problems and needs, the way they value your competitors e.t.c.
In this article, we’ll discuss 5 ways SaaS companies can get the most out of review platforms, to increase their competitive intelligence.
No matter how expertly your messaging is crafted, it’s still created by your marketing team and promotes the company’s perspective. Reviews are here to provide you a continually refreshed stream of customer perspectives. By listening to users’ language, by observing and collecting their words, you get a simplified human description of your products’ value proposition.
All you have to do is inject this phrasing into your landing pages. This will take you from selling technical features to potential users, to offering real solutions to people that need help with their jobs-to-be-done.
Furthermore, review sites work as a great source of new content ideas. By looking at similar product reviews, you can identify common themes and trends that customers tend to discuss or worry about. These themes can become great new content topics that will be both beneficial for users and for your website’s traffic.
So, read reviews on online review portals, learn what customers see as your product’s biggest selling points, and highlight those points in your content marketing.
Consumers who used to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations, now rely on online reviews. You can leverage that by enriching landing pages with data that support buyers in their decision-making process.
This actually is an ex-growth hack that still works amazingly. A couple of years ago, marketers realised (through A-B testing) that landing pages enriched with reviews, had a positive impact on conversion rate optimisation. That’s because displaying verified ratings throughout landing pages and digital assets, increase credibility around the company, the product and the solutions it offers.
The very same rule still applies. The more people say they use your service, the more it looks like a good service. In short, you need to show how satisfied people are by using your product.
SaaS review platforms are probably the most comprehensive software search resource out there. In addition to providing insights into your organization’s performance, reviews help you stay one step ahead of larger market, product and vendor trends.
Let’s take a look at how you can leverage review platforms to learn more about your competitors’ products and services, while also measure the pulse of the market.
Review sites offer a unique opportunity to engage customers in dialogue about products and services. Both negative and positive reviews reveal geographic and thematic verticals that make up the big picture of the market. These inputs can be valuable in constructing a realistic map that exposes business opportunities or crowded places of the market.
It’s not by accident that some of the most successful SaaS companies in the world use review platforms to constantly have a 360 market view.
For most companies, review platforms mainly work as instant feedback inputs.
With instant feedback from real users, you will always have up-to-date information about what users need and what their jobs-to-be-done are. This feedback can help you prioritize or deprioritize new features and make crucial decisions on product development.
Moreover, you can use feedback from reviews to evaluate and improve customer interactions. All these insights about users’ expectations and needs, can help customer support and sales teams increase effective communication with users.
Customer journey passes by googling, comparing and checking reviews. If you actually think about it, we don’t even order takeout or book a hotel without reading a few reviews first. Let alone try a SaaS product and invest time, effort and money to learn how to use it.
Online reviews keep working long after they have been posted. They constantly provide a positive image to potential customers. They also create a continual brand awareness that works for both the short and the long term. Your users do the marketing for you! So, consider review platforms as the most crucial step of a customer’s journey.
Last but not least, review platforms are a powerful SEO tool as they really help businesses rank well. Good reviews will ensure Google sees your website, not only as a real business, but also as a quality resource for your community. High reviews are the best clue for google to make your website pages appear higher in searches.
What to do next time you visit an online review platform
Online customer reviews are a great avenue for grabbing consumer’s attention and increasing sales. But it’s also one of the most powerful tools for companies that want to constantly keep an eye on the market.
Learnings from review platforms can be used throughout departments to enjoy greater success in key initiatives, including customer experience optimization, sales and marketing content development, brand awareness, product development and more.