As more and more consumers research products and services on the Internet before buying, it’s only natural that they would look for reviews in the same place. Consequently, traditional in-person word-of-mouth reviews are evolving into online reviews.
While some small businesses would much prefer word-of-mouth reviews over online reviews, I actually think that online reviews are far superior to their word-of mouth counterparts. Why? Online reviews give local business owners the opportunity to learn from and respond to both positive and negative reviews — something you can’t do with word-of-mouth marketing, simply because you don’t know who it is coming from.
With 90% of consumers now using search engines to shop locally, 50% of local mobile searchers calling or visiting a location within 24 hours of a search and 88% of consumers trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations, it’s clear that online reviews will continue to play an important role in the lives of local businesses.
Whether your small business already has a plethora of online reviews or you’re looking to boost the number of online reviews on a particular website (such as Google, Facebook or Yelp), more is always better in the online review world so that you stand out from the competition and bring that new customer through your door.
Download our Tips to Generate More Online Business Reviews and start getting more consistent online reviews for your local business today!
Business reviews online have grown to become increasingly important in the customer shopping cycle and your online reviews can make or break your brand. Not only should you always encourage customers to review your business (thus building the number of reviews you have), but you should also respond to reviews once you get them.
Our go-to method for responding to reviews is below.
Whether the review is positive, negative or neutral, our formula can help you handle every situation.
As online reviews increase in popularity, the more important it becomes for your local business to have an online review strategy — and a social and directory presence. Consumers look at multiple places online before deciding on a business to patronize and, while online reviews are one area, they also rely on your social media profiles and online directories.
If you don’t know how your business is listed in online directories, you can run our free report that will show you exactly how your business is listed in major directories. Once you figure out where there are errors, you can begin fixing them so that consumers looking for local businesses (like yours) can find your correct information.
Digital word-of-mouth and online reviews are incredibly important for small businesses looking to grow sales — as well as businesses that want to get feedback from customers so that they can improve (nobody’s perfect!). An online review strategy will also let happy customers spread the good word about your local business, too.
Feedback (positive or negative) is always a good thing because it gives you the opportunity to better serve your customers.
How do you generate online reviews? Let us know in the comments below ↓
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