It’s painful to watch marketers struggle with social network updates. Despite the struggle, executing the latest Facebook or Instagram format seems to occupy more mind share than the due diligence of ascertaining whether consumers want the content in the first place. This is one of the reasons brand value and customer experience remain front and center for my research this year. I’m using those themes to make what is perceived as old, new again; that is, I’m encouraging marketers to revisit their traditional strategies and explore tactics unaffected by social network algorithms. These tactics include ratings and reviews and online communities.

Customers use ratings and reviews religiously, but we can’t say marketers assess rating and review processes nearly as much. Regardless of business unit ownership, ratings and reviews provide an opportunity to drive consumer value for consumers through increased interactions, while creating data and ultimately insights for brands.

“Enhance Your Brand’s Customer Experience With Ratings and Reviews,” is my latest report. It breaks down the basics of ratings and reviews and is available for Forrester clients. The report uses our six-stage customer life cycle as a starting point for a rating and review strategy. Below are two obvious but crucial areas to consider within your strategy.

My next report dispels three marketing myths. Spoiler alert: Those myths point to successes supporting non-algorithm-based tactics such as communities and ratings and reviews.