The answer to the question posed by today’s blog title was actually answered by the first sentence of our last blog. “Online reviews mean the world to businesses,” it reads. But, as you may have guessed, we’d like to elaborate on that point just a little more. Online reviews have taken over traditional advertising as a more captivating method of convincing consumers to give businesses a try.
Online reviews help to formulate buying decisions.
Let’s suppose you’re looking for a new washer and dryer. You recently saw a commercial on TV for a great set, so you go online to learn a little bit more about the company. (This is what the majority of consumers do, these days.) However, during your search on the brand, you found several customer reviews that listed the company’s washer and dryer as “trash”. How likely are you to make that purchase?
“94% of online shoppers reported that a negative review has convinced them to avoid visiting a business,” informs Smith Willas on Mention.com, “This means that whatever your industry, having a positive online presence gives you several key advantages, which is why it’s becoming a key part of branding.”
Online reviews grow your customer relationships.
Online reviews give you excellent opportunities to reach out to the supporters of your business. If you read a positive review, contact the customer and offer your thanks. Offering a little discount or perk during his/her next visit would be a nice touch. If you read a negative review, you should also reach out to that person. Use the opportunity to improve the customer experience. Find out what went wrong and work to remedy the issue. It may earn you a loyal fan.
“To stand out against competitors within your local community, it’s important to find interesting ways to connect with your customers,” says Courtney Dobson on MarketingBitz.com, “Reviews provide an avenue for doing just that. When a customer leaves a review, you can take the time to respond and thank them for taking the time to do so. This will also provide credibility to others who read the reviews and see your responses.”
Online reviews help to boost your brand’s prestige.
Of course, as long as your reviews are predominantly of the positive variety, your company is going to grow its reputation. Online reviews boost the visibility of your brand. The more visible your company is online, the more success it’s bound to achieve. As Willas points out, most shoppers will look on search engines like Google and Bing, or even on Facebook, when deciding what to buy.
“These websites all have their own unique ways of indexing and surfacing content, but they all value original and fresh content, and customer reviews can definitely help feed the content machine, keeping your brand favoured by algorithms,” he writes.
We would love it if you posted an online review of MeloTel. If you wish to post a Google review of our company, you can do so through our new link HERE! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website.
