By Rezdy — 27 Nov 2016

Online reviews are just one aspect of your social media presence, but this feedback is some of the most powerful marketing material that you have. Recent studies have discovered that travellers rely heavily on online reviews when making the final decisions about the tour and activity companies they will book with for their next trip. A few statistics to keep in mind include:

  • 70% of consumers use product reviews before they finalize a purchase.
  • Online reviews are trusted 12 times more than tour descriptions provided by the company.

What is User Social Proof?

User social proof consists of online reviews and customer testimonials. It provides other travellers with the confidence they need in order to book a tour with a particular company, because these reviews are considered objective and reliable. Since the advent of social media, user social proof has become increasingly important to businesses in the travel industry. As a tour and activity provider, you should solicit feedback and interact with users on popular review sites, such as TripAdvisor.

How Can You Solicit Feedback?

There’s several ways you can solicit feedback from your customers. One of the most traditional ways to request reviews is to ask customers to offer their feedback online at the end of your tour. You can even have a tablet device available for people to leave reviews as they exit. Another popular way to request reviews is to send an automatic email after a person has enjoyed the tour. The email should thank the customer for booking with you, and offer a link to leave feedback about their recent experience.

How Can You Promote Your Reviews?

Use your positive reviews to your advantage. Always link to your TripAdvisor account, and even consider adding TripAdvisor widgets to your Facebook page in order to stream reviews. Add a testimonials page to your website. Make sure that you allow your customers to leave reviews on other social networking sites, such as Facebook or Google+. When you are open to feedback and you make it easy for your customers to offer their thoughts and opinions, you are more likely to get valuable reviews that will promote your company for you. Don’t neglect these accounts — always be sure to interact and engage with your customers on the review sites, even when there is negative feedback.

In order to receive positive feedback about your tours, you need to put your best foot forward with every experience. This goes beyond the actual tour that customers enjoy. It begins with the online booking journey, and the impression that your company sets from the start.

In order to learn more about the importance of online reviews and how to enhance your overall marketing strategy, download the Rezdy online marketing e-book today.



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