In the old days, businesses relied on word of mouth for a big part of marketing and brand awareness. Nowadays, word of mouth is just as important, but it uses different channels. For instance, many people utilise online review sites.
You may be afraid that online reviews may damage your reputation, but in reality, it's vital to your company's success. This guide will tell you why online reviews are essential to promoting your business.
It Helps Consumers Trust You
When consumers are seeking out services, they're looking for a company with a tried and tested reputation. This is especially true regarding expensive products or services; rarely will someone choose a brand new business with no prior customers.
When you have positive reviews to show, it tells consumers two things: you have experience and people are satisfied with what you have to offer. If you have an average of 4 out of 5 stars, you'll climb the ranks in consumers' minds and help you stand out above your competition.
Beat Competition without Lowering Prices
You may think consumers choose to go with businesses with the lowest prices, but you'd only be partially correct. More than 1 out of 5 people will pay more for what they want if the company has a good reputation.
What does this mean for you? If you can prove you are reliable, you won't have to slash prices to get people to buy things from you. You can maximise your revenue stream without having to compromise on quality or prices.
This can also help build your reputation as a business that offers high-quality products or services. That way, you have some wiggle room to raise prices in the future without too much protest from people.
You'll Get Higher Conversion Rates
The modern consumer does a lot of research on their own before they commit to a purchase. If you don't have reviews on your site, you may get web traffic, but maybe your conversion rates aren't so good. This may be due to users checking out your website, and putting their decision to commit to you on hold as they do more research.
But if you display your positive reviews prominently on your website where visitors can see them, it can help convince them to convert earlier. Think of positive reviews as free advertising and testimonials to your quality of service.
It Can Help with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Search engines rank your webpage based on a few factors, including positive reviews. If you decide to include positive reviews for your webshop, this can boost your site significantly. Since your page will rank better for SEO, you'll get an influx of organic traffic, meaning you don't have to pay for it.
The more positive reviews you have on your page, the more people and algorithms will see your organisation as a leader in your industry. As a result, you'll build up brand trust and awareness.
It Raises Brand Awareness
If you have exceptional services and products, people are more likely to spread the word about you on their own.
For example, if someone had issues with their product and you responded promptly and generously by throwing in some freebies, they're more likely to post about it on their social media. Or, if your product works really well, they may also post about it to suggest it to their friends and family.
Social media is a powerful tool since this is the way word of mouth is carried out today. Even if the audience your customers reach don't have a current need for your products or services, at least they know your brand name and your reputation. That way, if they have other friends or family that need something you offer, they'll recommend you.
It Offers You Engagement with Customers
Often, customers can feel alienated from a brand if they feel underappreciated or ignored. Satisfied customers will take the time to post positive reviews for you, so you should express your thankfulness by responding.
This achieves several things. For one, you express your gratitude for their patronage. As a result, your customers will feel more connected to you and will have more loyalty towards your brand.
Also, it'll show prospects that you care about your customers. You'll have a history of interacting with and thanking those who chose to go with your company.
You Can Tailor Your Service Better
Bad reviews may seem like the end of the world at first, but you can take advantage of them. When you see a one-star review, you may be tempted to either take it down or respond negatively.
However, this is a chance for you to demonstrate the level of customer service you're willing to provide. You should respond politely and do everything reasonable to rectify the situation.
In the future, potential customers can see how you handled negative reviews. You can show people that you're a reasonable business owner who is willing to go above and beyond in order to rectify situations. Not only will they be impressed, but they'll also be reassured that if they're ever unhappy about anything, you can be counted on to make things right.
Be Sure to Utilise Online Reviews
As you can see, online reviews have a multitude of benefits for your business. You can even turn bad reviews into something useful for your company.
With all these advantages of online reviews, you'll lose out if you don't have them prominently displayed. So consider putting online reviews where your potential customers can see them so you can drive more traffic and revenue to your business.
If you'd like a reputation management solution to collect positive reviews for your website, then get started today!
