3 Things You Need to Know About Online Reviews
As of 2018, 97% of consumers look online for reviews before doing business with a company.
Additionally, over three out of four individuals take online reviews as seriously as a personal recommendation.
Reviews are no longer limited to word of mouth, magazines, and professional critics. Anyone with 5 minutes and a smartphone is capable of leaving online reviews, making them a powerful new channel for leading traffic to your business.
To make sure you’re getting the most out of your customer reviews, here’s what you need to know.
1. Online Reviews Transcend Social Media
There are many channels online for individuals to leave product or customer reviews. Websites such as Yelp, Facebook, Google, and Amazon are the most well known, but there are hundreds, if not thousands of review sites online.
Individuals aren’t just checking Google reviews anymore. In fact, they’re checking an average of seven different review sites before they decide to purchase your product or service.
With this in mind, it’s vital to make sure that your company is listed on as many relevant review sites as possible. If customers can’t find other consumer reviews of your business online, you may as well not exist.
2. Customers Want More Than Reviews
Reviews are great, but customers expect more.
Many businesses simply shrug their shoulders when they receive reviews (whether they’re good or bad). They either figure that being silent will give them a better image or they don’t think online reviews matter.
This is a backward way of thinking.
Customers are elated when their reviews are answered by the business that they are speaking about.
By responding to customer reviews, you can show your customers that you genuinely care about their opinions and experiences with your brand.
If you have a bad review, you can directly reach out to that customer and try to fix the issue. By doing this, you can show the disheartened or upset consumer that you care about their grievances.
On top of this, you can show other customers who are reading your reviews that you are listening to feedback.
With this in mind, it’s important to focus not only on negative reviews but also on the positive reviews.If someone expresses their great experience with your company, it’s important to thank them for their kind words.
By responding to your customer’s reviews, you’re staying engaged and showing potential customers that you are keenly aware of the feedback and opinions of your customers. This will undoubtedly build your reputation in a positive way.
3. Reviews Can Make or Break You
Think about the last time you searched online for a restaurant to eat at, a plumber to fix your broken toilet or a product of some sort.
If that business or product had a bunch of bad reviews or an average rating of 2 out of 5 stars, did you still want to buy from them?
Many customers will not purchase a product or service unless the rating is around 4/5 stars or an 8/10 on a number scale
That’s why bad reviews can cost your business serious amounts of money.
Alternatively, good reviews can put your business on a pedestal above and beyond your competition.
Conclusion
Online reviews carry as much (if not more) importance as social media campaigns. It’s important to monitor what your customers are saying and to stay engaged with them.
If you’re not sure where to start or you need help improving your online reputation, we’ve got you covered.
At AAMP Agency | Adventure & Activity Marketing Pros, we specialize in localized online marketing and reputation management to make sure you’re getting as much traffic and positive feedback as possible.
Feel free to check the rest of our website and visit our blog for more information!
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