Recently a high profile Kiwi TV personality went public about a dissatisfying experience with a tradie he had found online. He said he was attracted by the number of positive reviews in making his choice but there was a huge factor that went ignored in the process – recent reviews.
Businesses committed to looking after their reputation online often begin with a hiss and a roar – asking their customers to review them and directing them toward their ratings page. Things go well, they’re busy, and then they lose focus. They think the number of reviews are all that matters and they lose the impact and value of their reviews. It just takes a little bit of work to avoid this.
Last year’s Local Review Survey, published byBrightLocal, put in to sharp focus how and why online reviews are essential for every business. One key point was the importance consumers put on how recent reviews are.
73% of consumers think that reviews older than 3 months are no longer relevant
Why are recent reviews so important?
One thing we can forget when doing anything are the people we are marketing to – consumers. Knowing how they behave and why they make their choices are key factors in every strategy in trying to reach them and convert them into happy customers.
Recent reviews are part of the story of a business – if you have hundreds of great reviews they are worth little if they are old. Why? Because they make someone reading your reviews ask questions that will take them somewhere else.
- Has your business stopped giving the great service and quality workmanship it once did?
- Have you gone out of business?
- Have you temporality closed shop?
Consistent and current reviews are more valuable than hundreds of old reviews
Ensuring that you have recent reviews isn’t hard – it just takes a little bit of attention and focus – asking every happy customer to take a few minutes to leave you feedback.
Remember – reviews tell the story of your business, that you are great at what you do, that you offer fantastic service and value your customers. If they are never older than say three months, they also say that you are current, here, ready to contact and to engage.
