how do you use customer feedback? a lot of small businesses take the time to collect feedback through review-sites like yelp, or by emailing customer satisfaction surveys, but many stop there.

feedback is marketing gold. according to a nielson study, 92% of consumers around the world trust word-of-mouth recommendations above all other forms of advertising. all the more reason you should use feedback to not only improve your business, but promote it.

to help you capitalize on customer feedback, we have a list of things you should be doing with feedback but probably aren’t. from adding positive reviews to your website to embedding comments on your blog, you can use feedback in a variety of ways.

before we get to the list, there is one golden rule we should discuss first. anytime you want to post a quote or a testimonial from a customer, you must ask permission first. when you publish the quote, make sure you attribute it to the customer and the site it came from. if you get stuck, check out this list of rules from the u.s small business administration.

ok, let’s dive into the list of things you’re probably not doing with feedback but should be:

1. add feedback to your website

did you receive some positive reviews on yelp, or encouraging feedback in a survey? show off some of those favorable remarks to website visitors. take quotes customers have left and put them in visible spots on your website. remember to ask reviewers or survey respondents for permission first. consider adding remarks to the bottom of your site’s homepage, and/or create an additional page specifically made to display quotes, or add a tasteful scrolling marque.

download our free retail customer loyalty success guide to learn how to drive customers back 2x more.

here’s how an email marketing company, verticalresponse displays customer feedback on its site’s homepage:

 

here’s another example that beauty subscription company, birchbox uses at the bottom of their website. the quotes change every few seconds and include feedback from social, surveys and more.

2. collect and embed feedback on social media

social media is a natural place for customers to talk about and leave feedback for a business. when a customer leaves a glowing remark on twitter, facebook, or instagram, it can generate some great discussion on social, but why not embed those remarks on your website or blog for everyone to see?

twitter, facebook, and instagram have easy-to-follow instructions so you can capture a social post’s embed code, and place those comments on your website or blog whenever you want, just like this:

s/o to @fivestars for all the birthday boba!!!! swear, every boba place messaged me up for free drinks til my birthday! (:

— mike madriaga (@themikelegend) july 30, 2015

3. use feedback on marketing materials

headed to a trade show or a networking group? do you plan to give out marketing material at an upcoming event? when you create your next brochure or postcard, add a section that highlights some of the best feedback that you’ve gotten.

consider adding a short testimonial to the back of your business cards. it can provide a personal touch that educates customers about your business in a non-salesy way.

4. share the news in a promotional email

the next time you send a promotional email that encourages customers to make a specific product purchase, include customer feedback in the email. take a look at the example below. see how the customer’s review adds to pitch?

a study highlighted in the wall street journal shows customers are more likely to make a purchase based on social proof than the potential of saving money. in other words, that positive feedback could provide the incentive a customer needs to open their wallet.

5. present feedback in a case study

feedback shouldn’t just come from your customers. retailers can gather internal employee feedback to create a case study, which provides an in-depth look at a specific achievement.

ask employees what your business does well. take the most popular answer and create a case study around it. let’s say your business has developed a new way to distribute its product, or has done a particularly great job recruiting employees. pick an achievement and turn it into a case study.

harrod’s, a retailers in london, created a case study that showcases its social media strategy. aldi, a discount retailer, has a case study that focuses on business expansion through training and development.

you can use case studies to promote your business. share it on social media, include it in your newsletter and send it to stakeholders to keep them informed.

sidenote: never stop gathering feedback

collecting feedback is an ongoing effort. you should constantly collect feedback through various platforms.

you can still use the old school ‘comment box’ in your store and have cashiers ask for feedback at the checkout counter. while the traditional ways to collect feedback still work make sure you utilize digital options too.

set up a review site like yelp or angie’s list, or create a feedback form for your website. wufoo has free feedback forms that you can incorporate into your site.

solicit feedback on social media, or consider running a contest that asks customers to share how your product improves their life. disney, for example, asked customers to submit videos and pictures of guests enjoying their many theme parks to its competition, “show your disney side.” the contest generated a lot of great images, videos and testimonials that the company uses to promote its brand.

do you use feedback to market your business? if so, do you use any of the methods above? tell us how they work for you.