John RamptonContributor
I help Startups navigate the online world.
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How Online Reviews Can Help Grow Your Small Business
Any successful business owner will inform you that having a solid reputation online isn’t just a luxury. It’s a necessity.
When you earn positive reviews, it reassures your potential customers that you’re reliable. You want customers to know you offer quality products or services. Knowing how to keep your existing customers satisfied will improve your bottom line.
Still not convinced?
According to Search Engine Land, 87% of potential customers won’t consider businesses with low ratings.
Additionally, an astounding 92% of consumers read online reviews of local businesses in order to determine whether these businesses are good or not, with 80% considering reviews just as important as personal recommendations.
Yeah. Online reviews are kind kind of a big deal.
But, how exactly can online reviews help grow your small business?
Builds Confidence In Your Brand
Unlike a well-known and established brand, customers don’t know what to expect from your small business. They may be hesitant to hand over their hard-earned cash to you. That’s when reviews come in handy.
These reviews legitimize your business and give potential customers a better understanding of what you do and why you’re superior than your competitors.
In short, online reviews help build confidence in your brand.
In short, online reviews help build confidence in your brand.
Helps You Find Out What They’re Unhappy About
Online reviews, both positive and negative, can be used to identify any areas of your business that could use improvement, such as customer service or faster delivery.
When you keep your customers happy, you can convert them into loyal customers, which means they’ll be sticking with you for the long run. It also shows that you care about any shortcomings your customers have expressed about your business.
Furthermore, you can use online reviews to win back lost clients. By knowing why they left gives you the opportunity to fix the problem, make amends, and convince them to come back.
Feedback On Products, Services, or Initiatives
Have you launched a new product, service, or initiative, like a marketing campaign? Online reviews can clue you in on what’s working and what’s not so that you can make the proper adjustments as needed.
Helps You Discover Your Strengths
At the same time, reviews can let you know exactly at what and where you excel–or not. That may not change your day-to-day operations, but it can give you something to boast about when marketing your business.
For example, if your customers are constantly raving about your customer service, then use that as selling point.
Lead Generation
Review aggregator sites like Yelp and Angie’s List have proven to be powerful resources for lead generation since people are using these sites when conducting research.
That’s why you need to rank high on Yelp and other review sites. These sites have become a breeding ground for leads.
To get started, make sure that you fill out your profile completely, ask for reviews, and respond to each and every review.
Reviews As Content
“In today’s culture, people are used to reading reviews before spending money,” writes Curtis Boyd, CEO/Founder of Future Solutions Media. “They inspire confidence in a service or product, as good reviews can be hard to come by in something of interest. They also let all the words do all the selling for you.”
“When you start using good reviews about your company as content, you are doing multiple things simultaneously,” adds Boyd.
- Letting your old customers assist you in obtaining new customers.
- Getting free, unique, and relevant content for your social media channels.
- Showing potential customers that great experiences with your company can be expected.
How To Get Positive Online Reviews
We’ve established that online reviews are important in helping grow your small business. But, how exactly can you get positive reviews?
- Always engage and interact with your customers on social media and respond to any questions that your customers ask in a timely manner.
- Respond positively to all reviews of your business – even if the customer left a negative review. Thank them for leaving the review or feedback and offer solutions to those who left a negative review, like offering a refund, an exchange, or apology.
- Invite customers to post testimonials on your blog and always ask for them to leave a review on sites like Yelp.
- Provide excellent service or offer an incredible product.
- Go above and beyond when it comes to customer service.
How have customer reviews helped your business? Do you have any tips on how to earn positive reviews? Let us know in the comments below.
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