During the past few months, I have been busy planning a wedding, and it occurred to me that  I have been heavily relying on reviews for nearly every aspect of the planning process. From hiring vendors to ordering customized products such as the guest book, signage and cake topper, to even picking the venue.

In all honesty, I am a typical modern consumer.  I constantly read reviews and even get aggravated when there are none, yet I never leave any myself, good or bad.  Then something happened that really hit home; our wedding coordinator told me that a good review in the wedding industry is a better currency and has more value than a tip. And I  completely see why. It also explains why so many vendors on Etsy have messaged me to see how I liked the product and encouraged me to leave a review.

So, what makes a good review?

Personally, I think the more details the better. My favorite reviews included pictures if relevant, descriptions of how the product or service delivered what was expected, if the sizes and colors were as pictured, anything that the customer didn’t expect or wasn’t listed, and if the reviewer would buy the product or service again if given the opportunity.

As a professional marketer, I think this is a good reminder to make sure you have a process for managing, responding to and encouraging reviews. Consumers – B2C and B2B do their homework and value other opinions, and reviews are a cost-effective way for companies/products to help market themselves.

And as a consumer, let me challenge you (and myself) to leave more reviews. This week I made a conscious effort to leave reviews and it felt really good knowing that it could potentially help someone with a purchasing decision as well as help businesses I had good experiences with.