Have you ever seen some standout businesses that seem to have grown with little to no effort? It is a common phenomenon in the modern business arena, but the truth is that such businesses have invested a lot in word-of-mouth marketing and customer reviews.
Let’s look at it this way. You have probably told a family member or a friend about a new joint in town or your favorite marketing agency. These casual chats are incredibly powerful, making word of mouth an effective marketing strategy.
However, customer reviews can make or break a business. So, why are customer reviews important, and how can you use them to grow your brand?
Read on to learn more.
Benefits of Customer Reviews
Most customers nowadays make their purchase decisions based on the reviews they read online about a certain brand. Around 94% of online buyers avoid buying from certain businesses because of negative online customer reviews.
Let’s look at some benefits of online customer reviews:
1. Increase Purchases
When shopping, potential buyers will look for the opinion of previous shoppers about a particular product. Such is called social proof — where individuals’ decisions are based on the behaviors and actions of others.
Customer reviews remain one of the surest ways to create social proof around your brand. A five-star rating can be the only thing a potential customer needs to see to convince them to buy your product.
2. Improve Local SEO
With the growth of e-commerce, customers nowadays use search engine capabilities, scroll social media platforms and read blogs to get more information about a product before buying it.
Customer reviews can increase your brand’s visibility on major search engines. With a high search engine rating, more customers in North Brisbane are highly likely to visit your website, increasing the probability of more sales.
3. Build Trust
The reviews your business has online can foster significant trust for your brand. Since most online transactions happen between strangers, you stand a great chance of building trust if you have positive and top-rated reviews.
When many customers leave positive reviews, it becomes easy to convince even a new customer to buy from your business despite them being unfamiliar with your brand.
4. Create Conversations
Online customer reviews have proved to be great conversation starters. Usually, some customers will leave certain feedback that would require your response. It is important you learn how to respond to customer reviews, whether positive or negative.
When you engage with past customers by responding to their reviews, it creates the impression of a caring business. This way, new customers develop trust in your brand, increasing the probability of them buying from you.
5. Expand Reach
Did you know that your brand reach increases with each single customer review? For this reason, it is advisable that you encourage your clients to give feedback and leave a review anytime they buy your product.
Such reviews and feedback help you establish areas you need to improve in line with the needs of your target audience. In case of negative reviews, ensure you address them promptly to avoid damaging your brand’s reputation and image.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, you can use customer reviews to grow your business significantly. Such reviews, when managed well, can help you foster trust, improve your brand’s visibility locally, create conversations leading to sales, expand your brand’s reach and increase purchases.
Nevertheless, it is important that you know how to respond to customer reviews. With a reliable online reputation management system, you can rest assured of a better outcome.
Get in touch with Online Lead Finder, the Brisbane area’s successful growth-oriented digital marketing experts, today. Let us help your brand grow!
