Online platforms have expanded tremendously over the last couple of years, enabling consumers to share their reviews and thoughts online easily. This allows customer feedback to have a much wider impact and influence the public perception of a business. This means that businesses need to take a smarter approach to how they generate and manage reviews for their business.
The Impact of Reviews
In today’s world, the Internet is an essential part of buying and selling. Consumers will often search online first for businesses when in need of a product or service. Studies have shown that 9 out of 10 consumers conducted online research via search engines before making a purchase. This highlights how negative feedback can determine people’s outside view of your business on the opinions of others. Reviews are like a first impression. They can either be a pleasant introduction or a warning.
Here’s what negative reviews will mean for your business:
- Lowered search engine ranking: The star rating on review websites can have a substantial impact on consumer perception. Consequently, search engines also pick up on this which could have a significant impact on your website’s traffic and enquiries.
- Reputational risk: Negative feedback can cause trust issues from the off, the consumer is more likely to react much quicker even to small mishaps and that runs the risk of another negative review. This might also deter customers from even making an enquiry, as a result, they could go to your competitors.
- Hard to fix: Negative reviews and a bad reputation are difficult things to fix, the only way to repair the damage is to earn new positive reviews and a lot of them.
Positive reviews can generate more customers:
- Improve your reputation: Consumers will trust a business with positive feedback, over lower-rated competitors. Positive feedback from customers increases the likelihood of a prospect choosing your business.
- Higher ranking: By having a higher rating you have a stronger chance of coming up higher in search rankings such as Google Business Listings, therefore, more customers see your business first.
- Easy to maintain: It’s cheaper and easier to manage and maintain a positive online reputation than it is to repair a negative one or go through a rebranding process.
Overall testimonials can have a significant impact on a business. Online management is becoming essential in every company and it makes it much easier for potential customers to discover your business and what sets you apart from your competitors.
The internet has proven to have a significant factor for businesses. Reviews are driving customers towards or away from brands. Placing customer satisfaction on the priority list for your business can only help your company’s sales and profitability.
Online reviews are very common for consumers to relay their experience with your brand. Outlining how important it is that you monitor and manage positive and negative reviews. It will help your brand to drive customers, trust you as a business and effectively expand to other customers.
Speak to us about our review management software today or find out more here: https://netinspire.co.uk/customer-review-platform/
