How Online Reviews Help You Grow Your Business
Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that having a solid reputation isn’t a luxury. In competitive times like these, it is actually a necessity.
When your business has positive reviews, it means that your future customers are reassured of you being trustworthy and professional. You obviously want your customers to know you offer valuable products or services, right?
Online reviews are the bridge to that.
For those of you who don’t know, they are publicly generated thoughts of all the products and services your company offers. In an era when business organizations are switching from traditional to digital, this significantly transforms the way we buy products and services online. That said, online customer reviews are now more important than ever before.
But how can you actually use online reviews to level up your small business?
Online Reviews Help You Discover Your Strengths
Online reviews can inform you about all the things you excel at.
This may not change your day-to-day business operations . . . But it can certainly give you something to boast about when promoting your brand.
If your customers are talking about your awesome customer service, use that as a selling point. Your strength lies in your customer service and your service delivery.
They Also Build Confidence in Your Small Business
Unlike popular and established brands, customers don’t know what to expect from a business that is new in the industry.
If your business is truly new, chances are that your customers aren’t familiar with your products or services. They may be hesitant to hand over their money to you. More importantly, 94% of online buyers reported that a negative review has convinced them to avoid purchasing a product or service.
This is when you leverage online reviews.
The reviews legitimize your brand and give customers a better understanding of what you do and why you are superior to other businesses in your niche. In other words, online reviews build confidence in your small business.
A Great Way to Trigger Conversation and Create Interest
Excellent reviews have a way of quickly spreading on the internet. Encouraging customers to review your business is a great way to expand your brand.
When people have good things to say about your products or services, they are more likely to share their reviews on more websites including websites like FourSquare, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. Here is how to rank high on Yelp.
These websites are crucial for your online presence as Google collects information from their websites when building the results ranking list. Even on an individual level, having positive reviews can help push more reviews.
To get started, make sure you set-up your profile, ask for reviews, and respond to each and every review.
Online Reviews Help You Find Out What Customers Are Unhappy About
Both positive and negative reviews can be used to identify areas of your business that could be improved, for example, faster delivery, customer service, etc.
When you keep customers happy and satisfied, you can easily convert them into loyal buyers which means they will be sticking with your brand for a long time. It also shows that you care about their experience or any shortcomings your customers have about your products or services.
You can use online reviews to attract new customers or win back lost ones. By knowing why, they left, gives you a chance to solve the problem, make amends and convince them to come back and give your small business another chance.
Having A Review Online Improves Your Search Engine Results
Other than building a better relationship with your customers, online reviews work towards improving your rankings in search engines. Positive website reviews increase the activity on your website, cultivating your brand’s online visibility.
The more people share experiences about your products and services, the higher it will appear in the search engine results and encourage people to purchase what you offer, thus helping drive more sales and grow your business.
A Great Way to Showcase Constructive Suggestions and Criticism
No matter how bad reviews are, allowing customers to share their opinion helps you work on your mistakes and overcome the poor areas of your business. It depends on how you react to negative reviews. If you take negative reviews as pieces of advice, you can turn a negative comment into something positive.
Most of All, They Give You an Open Line to Your Customers
More than posting online reviews, customers today expect businesses to respond to their comments. The reviews give you a chance to be honest with customers and bolster the reviews with gratitude. They also give you a way to rectify a poor comment and show that you truly care and are professional.
Now that we’ve established that online customer reviews are important in helping level up your business, let’s see how can you get positive reviews. We suggest you to:
- Engage and interact with your customers on social media and respond to their comments and questions.
- Respond positively to all comments about your products and services.
- Provide superb service and offer a quality product.
Contact us today and learn more about our award-winning Online Review Management and Reputation services — designed to help businesses make most of their online reviews and increase customer satisfaction! Call today! 833-933-8463
