Take a moment – when was the last time you read a Facebook review, checked a Trustpilot rating or left your thoughts on TripAdvisor? Chances are it was pretty recent.

While you may not give a second thought to the importance you place on a product review before clicking ‘Buy Now!’, now’s the time to consider what online reviews could do for your own business.

“While a good reputation precedes you, a bad reputation will follow you for a long time – it takes years to build a strong rapport with people and just seconds to lose it” – says Richard Branson.

Positive reviews add to the bottom line (while negative ones taketh away)

86% of people would pay more for services from a company with higher ratings and reviews

Positive reviews don’t simply lead to intangible niceties, such as a ‘great online reputation’ or a ‘good brand image’. They measurably impact the bottom line – both for the better, with good reviews, and for the worse, with bad reviews.

82% of Yelp users said they typically visit Yelp because they intend to buy a product or service, while businesses with two negatives on the first page of search results risk losing 44% of its customers.

Each negative review costs the average business about 30 customers/clients.

They don’t know you, why should they trust you?

Word of mouth marketing has been one of the most powerful marketing mediums since the very first business set up shop. Despite us living in a digital age, this remains just as true in the modern day (as the following stats and facts go to show…)

For every business… 80% of consumers consider reviews just as important as personal recommendations.

For bricks and mortar stores… 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.

When you have a shining online reputation, potential customers trust you before they’ve even so much as spoken to you or purchased from your site. The stark reality is, earning trust in the online world is tough, if not impossible, without good reviews.

Bad reviews? They can be good for business!

“Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business”.

Uh oh. You’ve been left a negative, one-star review. Rather than it being time to panic – bad reviews should be embraced. After all, they show you (in no uncertain terms) how your business can be improved. They also offer a right to reply – and with a carefully considered response, you could demonstrate professionalism and present a solution for the unhappy customer, which in turn shows other customers that YOUR customer service is top notch!

A word on testimonials

Featuring testimonials on your website is a powerful conversion tactic. After all, they break up the words on your site that were written by you with the thoughts of a real, life customer. Testimonials can also convey an emotional aspect as to how your business resolved the problem that they faced.

We’ve been managing our own customers’ reviews for a number of years now as part of our Social Media Marketing service. You can read more about this by CLICKING HERE.

Or if you need better visibility online check out what we have to say on SEO by CLICKING HERE.

Want to talk about getting your satisfied customers talking, sharing and reviewing? If you’re ready to tap into the power of positive reviews, you know where we are. Call the WiserWeb team on 01953 852939 or send us a message via our contact page, and we’ll be right back in touch.

Posted in Marketing, Product Investment