The Importance of Online Reviews for B2B Software Companies- Capterra 2013 Webinar

Capterra Reviews in

B2B Software Lead Generation

Reviews are a norm in the purchasing process from retail to restaurants with sites

like Amazon, Yelp and Angie’s List.

The B2B software buying process is no different.

In our 2013 B2B Software Buying Trends Report, we asked…

WHERE DO BUSINESSES GO TO RESEARCH SOFTWARE?

http://www.capterra.com/software-buying-trends-2013

Buyers Turn to Peer Recommendations

Of all the steps in the software buying process, respondents said the most difficult part was

figuring out which software would meet all of their requirements.

71% of software buyers turned to their colleagues and peers for recommendations.

Online Reviews72% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations—provided they look authentic, of course.

The results of the Local Consumer Review Survey (2012) posted in Search Engine Land

http://searchengineland.com/study-72-of-consumers-trust-online-reviews-as-much-as-personal-recommendations-114152

Software product listings with 6-20 reviews have over 2% conversion rate increase opportunity than those with no reviews

Impact of Capterra Reviews on Lead Generation

0 Reviews

1 Review

2-5 Reviews

6-20 Reviews

Over 2

0 Reviews

CTRConversion Rate

1.38%

3.04%

1.76%

3.89%

1.73%

4.57%

2.38%

5.64%

# of Reviews Displaying

Aver

age

Rate

1.39%

2.54%

Software Reviews on Capterra

Total number of reviews and star ratings appear next to listings. Buyers

can easily research user feedback as they undergo

their software search.

Software Reviews on Capterra

Since user feedback is some of the most sought after content on Capterra, buyers can now select to see products filtered by reviews.

Top Software Reviews

Software buyers get both featured listings and basic product listings ranked by user reviews on the top reviewed software pages.

Top Software Reviews

The more great reviews, the higher a software product will appear on this list!

See a Product You Already Use?Submit a Review!

User Review Submission

Reviewer Steps

1. Fill out review form & submit

2. Check email for confirmation email

3. Read over and click confirm link

4. Review goes live 3 days after confirmation

Why Reviews Are HelpfulReviews help convey target market info.

Buyers search for feedback from peer organizations to see if the solution may be a good fit for their

specific needs.

Why Reviews Are HelpfulA few negative comments make reviews look more

legitimate.

A few negative comments will be taken into consideration against the positive reviews. In some circumstances, negative comments may not even apply to the buyer, for example, if it is related to a system integration that is not common for all buyers.

The volume of positive reviews dwarfs the number of 1 star reviews in this example.

www.amazon.com

Why Reviews Are HelpfulReviews can be a great learning experience to

prepare for future next steps.

For a buyer, this could mean gaining important feedback on the implementation process or other areas that will actually make them a

more educated customer when they do decide to purchase.

For a software company, reviews can provide great tips on what to launch or update next on the product to keep customers happy.

Negative ReviewsNegative reviews happen, but don’t despair.

Start a public comment next to the review to demonstrate your great customer service and then reach out to the reviewer.

Overtime, as issues are resolved, a reviewer may choose to edit his or her original review.

Negative Reviews

By actively gathering reviews and seeking honest feedback, you can better monitor your brand and, hopefully, resolve

negative customer issues before they go viral to other social media channels.

Reasons for Review Removal

- Not a legitimate user / bogus

- Willful misrepresentation

- Profane / unprofessional in character

- Reviewer requests the removal

How Software Companies Can Start Actively Collecting Reviews

1. Login to your Capterra Vendor Portal2. Click on the Product Reviews Tab3. Click on the ‘request a review’ link to populate an email with the

link already provided to your reviews page4. Craft your email to your customers asking for their honest feedback

Monitor Your Software Product Reviews

- See review status (‘Pending’ means the reviewer has not clicked the confirmation link in email, ‘Confirmed’ means the review will go live in 3 days, and ‘Displaying’ means it is publicly displaying on the directory).- Click on the ‘not viewed’ linked to read the full review

Software Vendor Options for Reviews

Add vendor response – thank your customer or add further context to a mentioned issue.Request contact with user – have Capterra reach out in case of errors in submission process.Request removal of review – Capterra will promptly make necessary steps to maintain high standards and credibility in the reviews program.

Ways to Gather Reviews- Create an Area on Your Website

- Send an Email Marketing Campaign

- Ask in Your Newsletter

- Create a Blog Post

- Include Links in Your Email Signature

Ways to Gather Reviews

- Incentivize Support Staff

- Have a Computer Station at User Conferences

- Have an Offer to Win Something/Give a Hug

- Ask Users During High Engagement Points

- Build in Product Interface

Ways to Gather ReviewsSend Tweets!

Leveraging Great Review Content

Display cumulative review ratings that pull from a third party source with the

Capterra Reviews Badge

Leveraging Great Review Content

- Create blog articles from data- Stream review content on website- Make an infographic / visual representation- Have a comparison matrix

Leveraging Great Review Content

Start tweeting your great reviews!

Reviews now impact the Top 20 Infographics

# of Capterra Reviews are part of the Social Score Component

Questions/Feedback

info@capterra.com

Looking for helpful software user feedback?

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