Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
Do you know what people are saying about your business online? In today’s world, people are forming an opinion about your brand before they even visit your website or pick up the phone. Consumers like to be informed and 90% of shoppers (Source: Bright Local) will read one review or more before they use a business. Add that to the statistic that a negative review has persuaded shoppers not to buy something, then ignoring your reviews is very bad for business.
So why should you care about what people are saying and why does it make such a difference?
Proof of sales drives more sales
Good reviews have a huge impact on sales. People like to buy things that others have already purchased and liked. It gives them confidence that they are making the right decision and their money is being well spent. This does not just apply to consumer goods. Industries from professional services to restaurants can benefit also. Wouldn’t you want to know that a law firm such as bopprelawfirm.com is going to handle your legal needs well or your accountancy practice is the right firm to deal with your finances? The more expensive the service, the more you want to be sure you are making the right decision.
Companies know that social proof is one of the best ways to drive customers, which is why they try very hard to get you to leave a review through incentives such as discount codes or VIP points.
Reviews will help customers find your business
Most people will automatically head to a search engine when they are looking for something. By having your business reviewed on sites such as Facebook, Google, Yelp, Trip Advisor etc, you are giving search engines more new, relevant content to crawl which will help your search engine rankings.
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They build trust in your brand
If a potential customer sees a company or product with hundreds of positive reviews, their level of trust will increase. Conversely, a company with a number of negative reviews is going to deter people from buying.
The importance of reviews is such that there have been a few scandals in recent years about companies buying fake reviews to make their company look better, or to make their competitors look worse. Amazon and Trip Advisor are two of the big names affected by fake reviews.
Reviews let you reach more people
Social media is one of the best and worst things to happen to brands. Reviews can spread across social media very fast, especially if they are bad, which is why brands spend a great deal of time and effort on social listening so that they can interact and amplify the good reviews and do damage control on the negative ones.
How companies respond to negative reviews can help reverse some of the damage. A professional, courteous response that apologizes for any issues or points or points out any inaccuracies is the best way to respond. Getting involved in a bitter war of words, on the other hand, will damage your brand further.
Key takeaways
- Reviews are important to businesses in all sectors and directly affect sales
- Encourage customers to leave reviews
- Engage with customers and amplify positive reviews
- Respond to the negative reviews in a professional manner
