Online reviews have changed the way people shop for products and services. In this article, we’ll explain some of the top reasons why cultivating online reviews from your customers can dramatically boost revenues for your company.
Online Reviews Add Credibility
If you have ever shopped on a big box store’s website, you have likely seen rave reviews about a somewhat menial product. “Wow, this thing has changed my life for the better!” doesn’t really fit with a review of a roll of masking tape or a bag of bolts. Anonymous reviews or reviews that are not tied directly to publicly accessible accounts hold little to no value in the eyes of potential customers.
Knowing that a real person chose to take the time to leave a review dramatically increases the perceived value and trustworthiness of the comments and your business.
Reviews Improve Search Results
Surveys over the last few years show that as much as 10 percent of website traffic can be attributed directly to customers who have come from review pages on other websites. Statistics like these reinforce the importance of making the acquisition of quality reviews an important part of your marketing process.
Google Reviews are a great way for potential customers to find your business.
Not All Bad Reviews are Bad
How you handle a negative review can show potential customers a great deal about your ethics and business practices. A one- or two-star review can be an opportunity to shine.
Even a statement acknowledging a failure to provide the service the customer expected can show that you care about your business. Include information that you will be implementing a plan to make your process better, then put that plan in place at your next staff meeting. We recommend not providing excuses.
Take the time to research and plan appropriate responses to negative reviews.
Reviews Make Excellent Website Content
Copying and pasting a review into an article on your website may not offer a potential customer a lot of value. With that said, taking information from a review to create an article can help. Imagine that you receive a review about your cake decorating business and the customer mentioned that your delivery team had the cake at their event right on time. This feedback could serve as the foundation for an article about your team and how you schedule orders and deliveries to ensure your customers are happy.
Reviews Improve Customer Service
Whether you run a small business with only a few staff members or you are part of a large corporation with multiple departments, knowing that you will be asking your customers for feedback on their experience with your staff helps motivate your team to do its best.
We hope you found this article informative. There are hundreds of subtle and not-so-subtle benefits to online reviews. If you have any questions about the Evalu8 platform, don’t hesitate to contact our team by creating a Support Ticket. We’ll route the ticket to an appropriate member of our team to ensure you get an accurate and timely response.
