How many times have you, as a consumer read an online review? Be it about a product, service or even business, online reviews are playing an ever increasing factor in the purchase decisions of consumers both on and offline. BrightLocals recent study suggest that nowadays a whopping 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. While a staggering 74% suggest that positive online reviews help them to trust a local business.

But what does this mean for your business? It really is quite simple.

Whether your business trades online, or your online presence simply afford customers your business information, you could stand to gain real benefit from online consumer reviews. Whether you are driving your sales online or inviting customers to your store, online reviews facilitate the business owner to maximise profits, and also keep abreast of issues, customer service & resolve problems before they affect a wider audience. Once you invite a customers to leave a review, you are inviting them into dialogue with your business in the public forum, offering you the opportunity to craft meaningful responses on a deep, personal level. Take a look at some of our recent reviews left on our Google My Business Page.

Here we see two examples of good quality reviews and feedback from clients. Notice how the personal response from the owner reaffirm the position of the company

Negative Reviews are simply an opportunity in disguise!

The overwhelming fear that many business owners have is related to receiving a negative or bad reviews. Despite the best efforts of you and your team, negative reviews will occur. In most cases, these individuals may have felt let down by your product or service, however it is not the end of the world. Hand crafting a personal response to these negative reviewers, projects your business as a proactive listener, eager to resolve the gripes of your valued customers, and who can argue with that. In fact Mike Ward, CEO of Thriftbooks is a firm believer of resolving negative reviews stating

“When you stack all the positive reviews up and you see this one that is obviously from a legitimate customers with a legitimate concern, as a potential customer, your trust skyrockets.”

Profit from your strong customer service through social media reviews!

By now, we’re sure you understand the powers of social media, but have you considered the power of social media reviews? With 8 out of 10 Irish Adults now using social media, mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Snapchat are more powerful than ever before. The social profiles your business uses often gather the reviews of your customers organically, but are you really harnessing their power? Social Media can be a simple, cost effective tool to broadcast your happy customer stories, in a relaxed, informal environment. Who can argue with establishing trustworthiness and building a strong bond among consumers through social media reviews? I certainly wouldn’t.

Make educated business decisions by harnessing your customer’s feedback

While most business will strive for (& expect) five star reviews to just flow in, real meaning can be gathered in the words your customers use in a review. Looking beyond the star rating can arm business with genuine insight into the experiences of their customers and make adjustments to their business processes where necessary. For instance, should a number of reviews highlight a delay in shipping or perhaps even poor customer service, business owners can address these issues, ultimately driving repeat business and brand advocacy. After all keeping the customer happy is what business is all about.

Understanding the value of reviews is one thing, harnessing their power is another. Nowadays, businesses have a host of review platforms open to them, Trustpilot, Feefo and even he simply Google Review can all have a significant bearing on how would-be customers view your business online.

Talk to a Dmac Account Manager today about harnessing the power of Online Reviews