Before the days of social media and internet reviews, it was difficult to find reliable information on a company unless we knew someone personally that had already experienced their service. But today, all that has changed; you can do a quick online search for a nearby coffee shop or restaurant and in an instant, you have all their info together with reviews and ratings straight from people who have been there!
When was the last time you read a review that influenced your decision to buy a particular product or service? I’m guessing it’s recent.
In a world where customer satisfaction is everything, it's no surprise that online reviews are playing an integral role in many business's success. With a digital footprint that lasts for years and an entire industry devoted to reviewing products and services available on the market, online reviews are having a profound impact on customer behaviour across industries worldwide.
What’s surprising is that many businesses don’t realise the power of online reviews when it comes to growing a client base and therefore haven’t taken advantage of the massive potential of collecting reviews from
their customers as a free and easy marketing tool.
So what does this mean for your business?
Let’s look at a few ways online reviews can help you to grow your business and why you may want to consider making them part of your marketing strategy...
Increased Trust in Your Brand = Increased Conversions
Studies show that customers trust online reviews more than any other form of advertising.
Brightlocal’s 2020 Local Consumer Review Survey reports that:
• 93% of consumers used the internet to find a local business in the last year, with 34% searching every day
• 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020 - up from 81% in 2019
• 73% of consumers only pay attention to reviews written in the last month
Reviews provide social proof and create increased trust in your brand, which can lead to increased sales and an improved reputation.
Higher Search Engine Rankings
Studies show that 90% of all search engine traffic goes through Google and they now have their own directory tool - ‘Google My Business’ - which is quickly gaining popularity when it comes to searching for a business online.
How can this benefit you? Well, reviews are now an integral part of Google’s ranking algorithm for local searches, meaning essentially that the more positive reviews a business has, the higher it will rank in Google Map listings. This makes Google My Business reviews one of the best ways to increase visibility and reach potential customers online.
Free Promotion and Lead Generation...
Online reviews are a free form of promotion for your business - an easy, no-cost marketing tool that can help you generate leads by driving targeted traffic to your website.
Reviews on social media platforms such as Facebook and Google My Business also provide the added benefit of boosting brand awareness with custom audiences.
Valuable Business Insight:
Not only are client reviews an invaluable asset in helping you attract new prospects, but they also enable you to gain valuable insight into how other people view your business. This can be hugely beneficial in helping you to improve your products and services, and refine and enhance the experience for future clients!
At Admin Guru, one way I help my clients increase their online presence is by implementing a customer review system. The best way to do this will vary for each business. The key though is to make it as easy as possible for your customer to rate your service.
There are various ways your clients can share their experience of working with you, from leaving a review on sites like Google My Business, Yelp, or Facebook to sending their reviews to you directly via email.
These reviews can then be used in several different ways. Here are just a few ideas...
• Include them in a 'testimonials’ section on your website
• Send them out in your latest newsletter
• Share screenshots or images of your latest reviews on social media
• Use hyperlinks and anchor text to link to reviews on your social media posts
• Include your best reviews in your printed marketing material
I can assist with setting up a Google My Business Profile and can also create branded social templates to showcase testimonials, so if this is something you feel may benefit you, please reach out!
Whichever method you choose, I guarantee that setting up a client review system will prove to be a great benefit to your business.
Here are some of my own client reviews...
Hopefully, these examples serve as an encouragement for you to start collecting some reviews of your own, and you can see how reading these might influence a clients decision to use me as their virtual assistant.
We can all agree that customer feedback is vital for any business looking to grow its market presence. The truth is, if you are not taking the time to get reviews from your clients, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. So, if you haven’t already incorporated them into your marketing strategy, feel free to get in touch with any questions or to learn more about how I can help you grow your business with reviews.