How often does it happen that you buy a product only after reading its reviews? Humans are rational creatures. We like to invest in something only once we are sure about it. Reviews are a great way to convince your customers about buying your products and services. If you are not actively soliciting reviews from your customers, here is why you should immediately start doing so.
- Establish credibility – Studies indicate that close to 90% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. So just like as you seek recommendations from your family and friends before buying anything, reviews work the same way to convince your customers about your products and services. With everyone getting real-time access to information, smartphones are being used by buyers to search for businesses and validate their purchasing decisions. Reviews are an effective way to instill confidence in the hearts and minds of the buyers as soon as they start looking for you.
- Boost SEO – Your brand name or ‘brand mentions’ are bound to frequently in reviews. The quality and quantity of your reviews is a powerful ranking signal to search engines. Reviews go a long way in establishing the credibility/ popularity of your business. The unique review content provided by the users attracts more ‘crawls’ by the search engines and in turn, boosts your search engine results.
- Connect directly with the customers – Reviews are a great way to like, thank and respond to your customer. You also get a chance to create a positive impression about your personality and your business.
- Turn negative comments into positive ones- An unaddressed comment from one frustrated customer can build a questionable image about your business. Being in touch with your customers through reviews gives you a chance to solve their problems or at least indicate to other customers that you made an effort to rectify the situation.
- Drive traffic to your website – If a customer is influenced by the reviews, and becomes interested in buying your products, he/she will immediately look for your website as mentioned in the reviews.
- Word of mouth marketing and brand awareness – It is a good sign when people talk about your brand. One review drives multiple reviews, which in turn, builds brand awareness.
Ask for reviews
If you believe you have a good product and reliable customer service, then what better way to spread the word about your business than asking for reviews. Having the ability to be transparent and open to feedback, allows your business to flourish. Showing that you care for your customers develops a trustworthy brand and in turn boosts loyalty, all of which go a long way in building a successful business.
SHJ International manages your online reputation effectively and helps you to grow your business. If you are interested to know more about our website development and search engine optimization services, get in touch with us.
How do you encourage customers to write a review? Post your comments below and we will get back to you as soon as we can. The best comments could get a chance to be included in our next blog on reviews.
