The success of your business is driven by its reputation.
Digital marketing has taken front and center. But, word of mouth marketing still holds its weight. Even before the Internet, a business was likely to flounder if customers were unhappy.
Nowadays customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction are even more important. Customer service reviews can be posted on dozens of websites. These reviews can be read by people all around the world.
A single negative review can devastate your business.
More than 88% of people read reviews. These reviews often influence new clients from using, or not using, your company.
Still not convinced about the importance of online reviews?
Keep reading for 5 ways that reviews help to grow your business.
1. Customer Service Reviews Build Trust
Positive reviews boost consumer trust. Peer recommendations and word of mouth are highly trusted forms of marketing.
In fact, over 80% of people trust peer recommendations. Online reviews are trustworthy in the eyes of consumers.
A trustworthy company is a reputable company. If consumers trust you, they’re more likely to continue to use your products and services.
But, be aware that negative reviews can diminish customer trust.
2. Improved Customer Relationships
Online reviews can be used similarly to social media. Reviews provide a better understanding of what customers think of your company.
Whenever a review is posted, your company should respond. This opens a new line of communication for happy and unhappy customers. This allows consumers to put a human face to your business.
3. Better Search Engine Results
Google’s algorithm uses several different factors. From search engine optimization to backlinks, a lot goes into your company’s listing in search engine results.
One factor many companies forget about is the mention factor. The more your company is mentioned in reviews, the higher you will rank.
A website with little to no reviews will rank below a company with dozens of them.
4. Constructive Criticism
Face the reality that eventually, you will have an unhappy customer. Instead of ignoring negative reviews, turn them into a positive experience.
Use customer complaints to improve your company. Depending on the review, you may need to improve:
- A specific business practice
- Your service/product
- Pricing
- Customer service
If a user leaves a negative review, don’t run away from it. Take the time to respond. Tell the user what you have changed or offer a fix for the complaint.
5. Free Advertising
Chances are you put a good bit of money towards advertising your company. But would you be opposed to free advertising?
Each customer review is an advertisement. Reviews expose your company name and product to consumers. This, in turn, increases brand awareness and exposure.
Increase Your Company’s Customer Service Reviews
Is your company lacking online reviews? If so, now is the time to encourage customers to share their thoughts.
To attract more customer reviews:
- Make the review process a simple as possible
- Create profiles on review sites
- Offer incentives for writing a review
Reviews are a Must for Success
Want to boost your company’s online visibility? Need help building a solid reputation for your business?
At RebelFish, we specialize in reputation development. We know the importance of customer reviews. A lack of reviews can hurt your company’s chance of success.
Don’t get lost in the vast world that is the Internet.
Contact us today to get started on your company’s reviews.
