Sometimes, we just don’t know what customers are thinking.

We mean this literally, of course. As marketing managers, we’re simply not in their heads (which is creepy and something we don’t advise). But we can easily use a feature built into the Connectivity Reviews product to leapfrog over the competition and understand what our customers really think about our pizza chain, hair salon, dental office or pet food stores.

It’s called Sentiment Analysis and if you’ve never used this Connectivity feature before, you’re in for a treat. Our platform finds keywords that commonly appear in online customer reviews, and then it analyzes how often each word is used with a positive or negative connotation. Marketers can also search for specific keywords to better understand customer sentiment.

Imagine what you can do with information like this as a marketer:

“Your Nutella crepes special was fabulous! I told all of my friends about them. I hope they are on the menu again soon.”

“I went to this gym because my cousin had a coupon. I would visit again for sure.”

“The dining room was kind of gross. Do they clean it?”

“Raina was able to get me a last-minute appointment to see the dentist on a Friday. She saved my weekend! I have told all of my friends to go to Dr. Parry.”

Smart marketers can use this business intelligence to suggest or implement business improvements.

Here are some quick tips for using the Keyword Search to increase sales:

Search for names: Enterprise managers can search for specific keywords such as locations: “North Main” and “Seaside.” Reviewers often compare two locations from the same franchise or enterprise. If reviewers are noting that one location is better than the other, you may have a problem. Use the keyword search to figure it out for a revenue boost.

Repeat promotions that work: According to the keyword terms, several reviews mentioned your insurance agency’s “ Safe Summer Driver Discount” or your regional fitness chain’s “Buy One Membership, Get Two” promotion. Why not offer it again, but this time for another holiday or occasion?

Make the sales process easier: Reviews can point out quirky details, like the bakery chain that had too many flies in the front window. Or the florist whose delivery vans were unmarked, making customers suspicious and uneasy. Look at your keyword terms and see if something is holding up the sales process. Notify store managers and operations managers with monthly updates so they they can correct the issues.

Ready to learn more? Get our Guide to Social Media for Local Business

Alex is Connectivity’s VP of Marketing.