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When it comes to online reviews, authenticity is paramount. With the rise of fake reviews and misleading content, consumers need reliable sources of information. TrustRadius, a platform focused on B2B tech reviews, has taken a stance to ensure review quality. Their review process ends up rejecting 60% of all submitted reviews.
Let’s explore why this matters and how TrustRadius maintains such high standards.
The trust challenge in B2B tech
Trust plays a crucial role in B2B tech purchasing decisions. With numerous similar products and marketing messages, buyers often struggle to differentiate between options. This has led to a need for reliable, unbiased information.
“There’s such a lack of trust right now. While there’s this huge lack of trust, there’s this huge need for trust,” Allyson Havener from TrustRadius explained on “The Business Storytelling Show.”
This situation creates challenges for both buyers and sellers. Buyers need reliable information to make informed decisions, while sellers must find ways to build credibility in a competitive market.
The power of peer reviews
Peer reviews have become increasingly influential. Allyson notes, “I am way more likely to listen to my peers than any kind of marketing material, whether that’s coming from a consumer brand or a B2B brand.”
This shift towards peer-to-peer information exchange has made review platforms crucial in the B2B buying process. However, with this increased importance comes increased responsibility. Review platforms must ensure the authenticity and reliability of the content they host.
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Reviewer verification
TrustRadius has responded to this challenge with a stringent review verification process. Their approach addresses various aspects of review authenticity. The first step in TrustRadius’s process is verifying the reviewer.
“We go on LinkedIn mostly because we’re working in the B2B tech space, and people leaving reviews on different products in the B2B space,” she said.
The TrustRadius team checks the reviewer’s job history and verifies their professional experience. This step ensures that reviewers have the relevant background to provide informed opinions on the products they’re reviewing.
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Content analysis
Once the reviewer is verified, TrustRadius examines the content of the review. They look for several key indicators of authenticity:
Fraudulent intent: Reviews that are clearly written just to receive an incentive are rejected.
Gibberish or nonsensical content: These are easy to spot and are immediately rejected.
AI-generated content: TrustRadius has detection tools to identify reviews written by AI.
Lack of substantial content: Reviews that don’t provide enough insights are rejected.
Allyson emphasizes the importance of insightful content,
“Since we have such strict and high standards when it comes to reviews, there has to be at least two to three key insights from the review,” she said.
Time analysis
TrustRadius also considers the time taken to write a review.
“On average, it takes people around 15-18 minutes to fill out a review submission from TrustRadius,” Allyson said.
If a review is submitted in significantly less time than this average, it raises a red flag.
“If we look and they’ve done it under two minutes, four minutes – under kind of like that threshold. We know that it’s already suspicious,” Allyson explains.
This time analysis helps TrustRadius identify reviews that may have been rushed or not given proper thought and consideration.
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The importance of balanced reviews
Allyson points out, “Most buyers go straight for the three-star reviews, because those are usually the most insightful, and they’re not this, like, hey, big promoter of it, and they’re not a big detractor.”
This focus on balanced reviews serves multiple purposes:
- It provides more comprehensive information to potential buyers.
- It helps identify areas where products can improve.
- It builds trust in the platform itself, as users see a range of opinions rather than just glowing praise.
The role of incentives
Allyson views incentives as a way to encourage those middle-ground users to share their experiences. These users might not otherwise take the time to leave a review, but their insights can be valuable to potential buyers.
These incentives are a thank you for the reviewer’s time rather than payment for a positive review.
“Everybody is lacking time these days, and you know, asking somebody for 15 minutes is it can be 15 minutes of somebody’s time can be very expensive,” she said.
The millennial factor
The importance of reviews is amplified by the changing demographics of B2B buyers. Allyson points out, “It’s like 70% of the buying power out there in B2B is our millennials.”
This millennial majority brings with it certain expectations:
- They want to self-serve product information.
- Prefer to talk to peers rather than salespeople.
- They’re digital natives, accustomed to online research and reviews.
- Are generally more skeptical and risk-averse.
Allyson suggests that building trust will be crucial for B2B tech companies. Those who can cultivate positive, authentic reviews and respond effectively to feedback may have an advantage in the market.
However, it’s important to note that building trust goes beyond just managing reviews.
“Brand is every representation of your company out in the market that is touching your customer,” she said.
This means that every interaction, from marketing to sales to customer support, plays a role in building trust.