This resource is aimed at those business owners who have not yet committed to putting their reputations on the line, online. It explains the many benefits of an online reputation to every business, no matter what it does, where it does it, no matter how large or how small. To those who have preconceived notions about customer feedback, online marketing, or online in general, this guide establishes not only the many ways an online review presence boosts businesses’ vitality and profits but just how essential it is to commit to reviews online. It is never too late to start! (Note – text in bold contains links to further information).
Online reviews and your potential customers
Firstly – reviews are the main driver of consumer desire and motivation. All of the pre-digital marketing and advertising formats have little to no impact on contemporary consumers. Reviews are everything – 90% of consumers search for everything online and the vast majority of them look for reviews before considering contacting a business. So connecting your business with what your potential customers are looking for is really a no brainer. You may have solid old-fashioned word-of-mouth but it is not enough.
Year in, year out, the research points to greater consumer reliance on online reviews.
“We are no longer reliant on the outmoded marketing strategies of print, radio, and other media. That is because they say nothing about how good, or bad, a business is – they are merely branding. Consumers are looking for the opinions and judgements of other consumers.”
Think of it like this, consumers don’t want to pick a business without the information they need first – and that desire is monopolised by wanting to read reviews. They don’t want to take a stab in the dark!
If your reputation is not online, then you’re essentially invisible
Before you go any further, search your business online and ask yourself this – does a potential customer feel assured enough to contact me? What does an online search say about my business? What is actually being said about my business? Checking the online visibility of your business should be a regular practice.
Committing to online reviews wards off invisibility, gives you the control to guide the conversation and it says that you are current, viable and proactive. It puts your business in line with exactly what consumers are looking for! All you have to do is commit to making your business transparent and encouraging your customers to review you.
Reviews do more than attract new customers!
Think of online reviews as the gift that keep on giving. Not only do they bring in new customers, based on the opinions and experiences of existing ones, they also help considerably with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – because a chunk of the information search engines look for when presenting results is made up of reviews.
Reviews are the best tool for start-ups to build online visibility while mindful of a tighter budget.
A healthy review profile helps every business but they are a huge benefit to small businesses, focussed on growing online.
When businesses spend tens of thousands of dollars commissioning analysis and reports on their performance, reviews do that at a fraction of the cost and are an up-to-date reflection of how customers actually perceive a business and its staff.
And if it ever comes time to sell, what could be a more tangible sign of good will than the experiences and opinions of customers?
NoCowboys has you covered
We are the pioneers of authenticated online reviews and we are very, very good at what we do. Here’s how we can help you and this is why you should register your business with us and watch it grow!
