Generally speaking all businesses want to expand, and if you use virtual tools to your advantage, you can achieve organic growth. Online customer reviews are becoming the new trend, and consumers who want their voice to be heard have no problem rating their past experience with businesses in any industry. Customer reviews that are accessible to the public can help you influence public perception in a positive or a negative way. Here are 5 of the benefits of being reviewed that you may have never considered.
Building Brand Awareness at No Cost
Reviews that are posted online are a form of free advertising, and as long as these reviews are positive in nature, you want as much free advertising as possible. When a customer takes the time to share their experience, they are promoting your products, services, and your brand as a whole. Other consumers will grow familiar with your brand, and the more exposure to your brand the more likely customers are to do business with you.
Improve Your Search Engine Rankings
Did you know that the number of genuine reviews that are posted about your company on sites like OpenTell.com and others can actually influence your search engine rankings? If you are trying to keep up with modern marketing strategies, you are probably familiar with the term SEO. Search engines use several different indicators and data to give you a score, and this score determines where your website will appear when a keyword is entered into the engine.
Build Strong Bonds with Your Current Customers
Your customers want to know that you’re listening to what they have to say. When a loyal customer of yours takes the time to review your business with concerns or compliments, take the time to respond to their review. By making the effort, you can make your current customers more loyal than ever and influence them to become your influencers by referring your business to others.
Making Improvements That Your Customer Base Will Appreciate
Many consumers take time to review a company to make suggestions on how the company can improve their products, services, or their store’s appearance. Free advice is good advice, and if there is a common consensus you can use the advice you receive to make improvements. Constructive criticism can be very helpful in the business world.
Building Trust with a New Demographic
Typically, consumer reviews are shared on social media sites. If a client shares their review and a friend sees this, they are highly more likely to trust your brand over others. By impressing one client, you can build trust when a new demographic.
You should treat every customer like they are going to review your business online. Good press can earn you business and bad press can scare prospects away. Work hard for positive authentic reviews, and encourage your customers to spread the word.
Published: December 9, 2013
1769 Views
1769 Views
