Some people think that online reviews don’t matter much. Some suggest that a one star review from an annoyed customer will not influence future customers. But unfortunately this is not the case. Online reviews are very important to your business. They may be the first place that people get a view of your product. Furthermore, a recent study has shown that 72% of customers will trust a company which has online reviews more. So here are a few more reasons why online reviews do really matter.
1. Online reviews are like personal recommendations
When people search for your business, review sites may be the first thing they see. These review sites are viewed as though a friend or colleague has recommended your services. There is more chance of a potential customer buying from you if your online reviews are favourable. According to recent studies, 88% of consumers consider online reviews to be trustworthy.
2. Reviews can highlight a problem in your business
Instead of being annoyed by a negative review, try to view it from an objective point of view. Isolate the problem that is being highlighted by the review. If you get a few reviews about the same problem in your business, then it is time to look at your processes and try to remedy the problem. Bad reviews will help you improve and give a better offering if you look at them from an objective point of view, even though it maybe hard sometimes.
3. Try to encourage positive reviews but never buy them
It is important to ask people to give you a review, especially after a good experience, but never give monetary compensation for the reviews. If people find out that you have paid for reviews they will have a negative opinion of your brand and you will struggle to build that trust with your customers again.
4. Always reply politely online but deal with the problem offline
If you have received a bad review online, reply politely to the customer online. Ask them to send you an alternate contact number or email address so that you can deal with the problem and give them a solution. If your solution is satisfactory, then the customer could become a lifelong consumer of your product. It is important to deal with bad reviews quickly, as one may open the floodgates for others to leave bad reviews too, and lead to the demise of your company. So always set some time aside to scan through review sites and see what people are saying about you.
5. Online reviews encourage people to become customers
When people view online reviews they can be encouraged to become customers. This may also happen if you have positively resolved an issue from an online review, as it shows that you care about your customers and want to improve their buying experience from you.
6. Reviews encourage traffic to your website
When people see favourable reviews online they will probably want to visit your website to see what your business is all about and the products you have on offer. This may lead to them making use of other products or services which you can provide.
As you can see, online reviews do matter. Go out there and check out what is being said about your company. And remember – always be polite and courteous when replying to your reviewers.
Proudly brought to you by the NSBC.