How to Use Online Reviews for Market Research
Your customers are talking online, and many have a lot to say about your product or establishment. It may not always be positive, but you should treat all online feedback as important market research that can help to inform your print marketing decisions. This post will tell you where to look and what to look for when it comes to scouting out online customer conversations and making decisions about how they should impact the content or design of your next brochure, catalog, flyer, or other print communication.
Restaurants
There are several restaurant review websites out there, each with a solid following. Two of the most popular are Yelp.com and UrbanSpoon.com, which are free to join and members can start posting reviews right away. Both offer smartphone apps that let diners rate establishments right from the table as they eat. You also shouldn’t overlook Google Places, which integrates with both Google Maps and regular Google search engine results to provide potential diners with location-based reviews.
Entertainment and Travel
TripAdvisor.com has long been the go-to place for many travelers looking for opinions about various destinations. Not only does the site provide traveler-written reviews (and photographs) of hundreds of thousands of hotels worldwide; it also serves as a hub for airfare searches and provides user reviews of restaurants and “things to do” in almost any imaginable location. With the ability to link TripAdvisor reviews to their Facebook account and share them via Twitter as well as with anyone who happens to search out a reviewed destination, it’s a powerful community you need to keep your eye on. Many hotel owners score bonus points by responding to reviewers publicly on the site.
Consumer Goods
Amazon.com sells a huge variety of products, and also fosters a highly active community of buyers and reviewers who are willing to both rant and rave about any purchase they’ve made. Check the Amazon reviews for your products to see if any patterns emerge, and take notes as to how you can improve upon the positive and negative points.
SMBs and Local Businesses
Don’t underestimate the power of Google Places. When a user searches Google Maps or Google for a service or establishment near their location, reviews automatically populate in the results next to the individual or business name. Reviews are averaged together to form a star rating that’s prominently displayed. Users can review just about any business or individual that’s been listed on Google Places, from doctors and dentists to restaurants, locksmiths, mechanics, and more. It’s a good idea to search for your business (and your competitors) and see what’s being said.
Once you’ve gotten a good overview of what your customers are saying about you and your competition, take some time to digest the commentary and come back with a plan of action that addresses both praise and complaints in ways that improve your business. You’ll be able to produce more insightful and effective print marketing pieces just by listening!
