#82 Katlin Hess Generating Reviews & The Buyers Journey
This call with Katlin Hess will be helpful for anyone in the Reviews Management space.
Katlin shared some interesting results from a recent study around the buyer's journey as well as strategy on how others are getting the reviews they need to get listed on G2.
We also discuss UserEvidence's new Evidence Gap report, the role reviews played in this report, and how reviews will continue to be used in CMA.
1. Customer Events & Reviews:
“We were swamped Dreamforce. A lot of conversations were around generating more reviews or getting listed on G2.”
Timestamp: 01:40
“At Dreamforce and HubSpot, they had QR codes outside every session, and within a few hours, they generated over a thousand reviews.”
Timestamp: 45:18
2. Voice of Customer & Feedback:
“The more authentic the feedback, the more trust it builds. Avoid fluffy marketing jargon and prioritize the voice of your customer.”
Timestamp: 20:03
“Make sure you’re asking everyone for reviews, not just your happiest customers, because this gives buyers a better picture of what it’s like to be a customer.”
Timestamp: 38:47
“Responding to reviews shows both existing customers and prospects that you value their feedback.”
Timestamp: 42:21
3. Social Media & Community:
“Participating in industry communities like this one and positioning yourself as helpful—not salesy—helps to build trust.”
Timestamp: 20:03
“We’ve seen buyers turning to peer forums and communities instead of vendor websites to make buying decisions.”
Timestamp: 16:03
4. Customer Advocacy & Lifecycle:
“Instead of running review campaigns once a quarter, find ways to make them always on and embed them throughout the customer lifecycle.”
Timestamp: 42:21
“Include review asks in QBRs and after key moments like onboarding or support ticket closures.”
Timestamp: 45:18
“To maintain review recency, ask customers to update their reviews once a year.”
Timestamp: 31:47
5. Working with Teams (Sales, Customer Success, etc.):
“If G2 becomes a customer marketing-only initiative, you’ll hit a wall. It’s important to get buy-in from your entire organization, including sales and customer success teams.”
Timestamp: 36:40
“Collaborate with your product, support, and success teams to ensure the feedback from reviews flows to the right people in your organization.”
Timestamp: 58:24
6. Content Creation & User-Generated Content:
“Think about where you can leverage user-generated content and amplify it across your marketing channels.”
Timestamp: 20:03
“Use reviews to extract content for customer stories, testimonials, and feedback loops for your product teams.”
Timestamp: 27:47
7. Case Studies & Customer Stories:
“Every review is a mini-case study. Don’t just think of them as reviews; they’re also
feedback that helps shape your customer stories.”
Timestamp: 48:45
“Including reviews in your marketing materials and case studies shows prospects that real customers are behind your success.”
Timestamp: 48:45
8. Customer Success & Engagement:
“We have in-app review levers that prompt customers to leave feedback while they're actively engaged with the product, and it’s been highly effective.”
Timestamp: 29:32
“Responding to both positive and negative feedback in reviews reinforces customer engagement and shows you care about their experience.”
Timestamp: 58:24
9. Adoption, ROI, & Expansion:
“The authenticity of reviews helps ensure that customers considering expansion or renewal see balanced, trustworthy feedback from peers.”
Timestamp: 21:27
“Using review insights to show ROI and real-world impact resonates more than polished marketing messaging.”
Timestamp: 20:03
10. Onboarding & Customer Experience:
“We embed review requests right after onboarding. It’s a great time to capture feedback while the experience is fresh.”
Timestamp: 42:21
“After implementation, it’s important to ask for a review when the customer has had time to see the value of your product.”
Timestamp: 45:18
11. Peer Reviews & Trust:
“Buyers are increasingly trusting peer review sites over analyst reports as they progress through the buying cycle.”
Timestamp: 18:03
“31% of B2B buyers said review sites were the most consulted source in their buying process. This is a massive increase from previous years.”
Timestamp: 18:03
12. Working with Customer References:
“It’s not just about getting the reviews; you need to figure out how to extract value from them—especially when it comes to references and customer stories.”
Timestamp: 48:45
13. Incentives & Rewards for Reviews:
“We saw huge success offering event-exclusive rewards like hoodies or Yetis in exchange for reviews. The key is making it easy and appealing for the customer.”
Timestamp: 45:18
“The in-product prompts for reviews we use ensure a seamless experience for customers,
encouraging them to share feedback without leaving the product environment.”
Timestamp: 29:32
14. Authenticity & Trust in the Buyer Journey:
“Maintaining authenticity in your reviews is essential, especially as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent. Buyers can tell the difference.”
Timestamp: 23:55
15. Collaboration with Product Teams:
“Reviews aren’t just for marketing; they offer invaluable feedback for product development. We work closely with our product teams to ensure this feedback loop is strong.”
Timestamp: 58:24
