With the rise of the web, most consumers now rely on what people think about a brand. Research reveals that 93% of them believe that online review site reviews affect their purchasing decisions, while only about 2% have yet to read a single feedback.
On the one hand, negative reviews could also cause a loss of clients. A study shows that 86% of customers hesitate to buy from online stores if they have bad reviews. This means a company’s reputation is directly related to its sales figures.
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Why Are Online Reviews Important For Your Business?
There are some instances when businesses leverage negative feedback. This is because if consumers only see perfect five-star ratings on MoreBetter.sg, one of the best review sites in Singapore, it’s too good to be true.
Without a single negative review, some consumers assume that a company is hiding a defect or scamming. This could damage the business’s reputation and sales figures, resulting in fewer customers returning for more purchases.
With all that being said, here are four of the reasons why online reviews are vital for your business. And how the power user of a popular review site can bring to your business.
1. They Improve Search Engine Visibility
Based on research, about 43.2% of internet users do their research before dealing with products and brands. However, with all the content that appears on search engine results pages (SERPs), it’s tricky to get the attention of these people.
Without search engine optimization (SEO), businesses won’t be able to attract their target audience. In other words, they can’t convert them to sales since they can’t introduce their offerings to them in the first place.
With this in mind, brand visibility is king in SEO. And one way to improve ranking is through an online review site.
You can encourage your consumers to publish their user-generated content (UGC) on social media. That way, their colleagues will likely see their posts and incite these people to search for your brand online. This strategy can drive more traffic to your e-commerce site since 84% of consumers trust peer recommendations.
Another way to do this is by making a review page on your website where customers can post reviews about their experience with your brand or offerings. That way, online users can read their feedback, which might encourage them to do business with you.
2. They Drive Purchases
Before an online customer proceeds to the checkout page, they usually do their research. This is especially true if they intend to purchase expensive products or services. If they don’t see a single review about a brand, they’re likely to skip it and look for an alternative.
Moreover, even if they read tons of review site reviews, 85% of them think testimonials older than three months aren’t relevant. On the other hand, 40% of them only believe feedback that’s about two weeks old.
As such, you must encourage new client reviews so your target audience would feel confident purchasing from you. You may also use rating portals where they can score the quality of your offerings and their overall experience with your brand.
3. They Create Buzz
Most brands panic at the thought of having negative feedback from buyers. For instance, well-known influencer tweets about an inconvenience inside a restaurant, putting the brand in a negative light. For many entrepreneurs, this is a disaster since it leads to losing the trust of their consumers.
But this is something you can take advantage of. With all the buzz that the influencer started, it helps you get free publicity for your brand. This increases the chances of your target consumers noticing you, which might encourage them to search for your company on the web.
Aside from that, you can leverage this opportunity to engage with online users through personalized responses. This shows that you care about the experiences of your customers, which can help you convert leads to sales through a review site.
4. They Build Authority
If you use content marketing, you know the importance of supporting your claims. You do this by establishing a reliable brand to build trust with your target consumers.
A great way to achieve this is by getting positive reviews from real customers. Unfortunately, a study reveals that 70% of consumers will only leave a testimonial if you ask them. So, you must initiate and collect their feedback, such as through email.
After that, you may use these testimonials in your video content. For instance, you may compile the feedback on your website or social media pages for other users to learn more about how your offerings would benefit them.
They might purchase from your company if they see that consumers are satisfied with your products or services. This is because you supply them with informative content with the help of reviews from real clients.
Tips To Get More Online Reviews
Now that you know the importance of online reviews, you must ensure you can make the most out of them. You can encourage customers to leave feedback by rewarding them with vouchers, coupons, or freebies.
You can also send a follow-up email within three days after the purchase to ask about their experience with the product or service.
You may prompt them to write feedback by including a link to review site platforms within the email’s body. This way, you will see what they have to say about your business and how they feel about it, and your offerings.
Conclusion
People want to get the best out of their shopping experience. In short, they only want to pay for products and services that are both effective and reliable. This is why they often read online review site reviews to verify a brand’s credibility.
So, as your target customers browse the web, you want to be able to get your brand in front of them. However, with a myriad of businesses wanting to reach the top spots of SERPs, it can take time to get their attention. And if you fail in this area, you miss the chance of leading them to the sales funnel, meaning you’ll lose potential revenue.
Hence, it’s a must to encourage your customers to create UGC, as it helps you reach more people online. Even if those prospects aren’t looking for specific products now, being aware of your brand helps them remember it when making a purchase decision in the future. And if they do, this means more customers, increasing sales volume and market share.
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