Word-of-mouth reviews alone do not cut it in the digital age. Consumers will rely on information about where to eat, shop or even get their hair done from a quick, convenient and reliable source, the internet. And there’s a good chance you have recently read a few online reviews yourself.
Not only do we have the ability to search reviews, but we can also write them; some making more recommendations than others. With 86-percent of people admitting to reading online reviews, and 91-percent (18-34-year-olds) trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations, the results of the benefits of an online review speak for themselves.
What will reviews do for your business?
Increase sales
Reviews create conversions. Positive reviews make 68-per cent of consumers more likely to use a local business. On the other hand, the same study found that 40-per cent of consumers will stop wanting to use a business after seeing negative reviews.
With such a significant proportion of consumers being influenced by reviews, proving their power to be sales drivers. They assist with the decision-making process by eliminating any doubts or queries potential customers might have about your product or service.
Boost SEO
Reviews can assist with your organic search engine optimisation (SEO), as search engines feed off relevant, unique and up-to-date content, which is closely associated with what client and consumer reviews provide.
The purpose of content is to get more clicks, which will hopefully convert into conversions. Reviews play a vital role in boosting your SEO, as reviewers will leave key-words and search terms that benefit your company and its prospects.
Establish credibility
With online purchasing and bookings becoming more common, customers rely on social proof. An effective way for a business to leverage social proof is through online reviews.
Negative reviews may also assist with credibility, as a consistent feed of 5-star reviews might look like a scam. With some ‘not so perfect’ reviews in the mix (obviously with a higher ratio of good to bad), it may actually improve conversion rates. More importantly, with any negative reviews, responding effectively and efficiently will create greater integrity.
Understanding product/service quality
Growth is essential for every business and reviews can assist with giving you the answers to what your customer really think about your product or service, and your company as a whole.
Your Net Promoter Score (read our NPS blog here) is an effective way to measure your customers experience through all the elements of your business. With this information, whether it’s from a promoter or detractor you can enhance interactions or the quality of your product or service and even request them to leave a testimonial; supporting the credibility of your company.
Assist with marketing efforts
Reviews can improve the quality and effectiveness of your business’ marketing in a number of ways. They can assist in identifying your best features and give a sense of what you could scale, in order to improve ROI (return on investment).
They can also give you a good indication of who your audience is, including the language they use and what really matters to them. Basically, reviews can be a rich source for audience research.
Greenfish Marketing has multiple ways to help your business with reviews; from your Google Reviews, review icons on your website and full client NPS (net promoter score) campaigns. Get in touch with our team here to find out more.
The Power is in the review……
