HOW ONLINE. Reviews Can Directly Affect Your Bottom Line

Transcription

1 HOW ONLINE Reviews Can Directly Affect Your Bottom Line

2 Table of Contents 1 Introduction: The Power of Online Reviews Where Are Your Reviews? Who Will Give You Reviews? Why Would Someone Write You a Review? What Happens When You Get Negative Reviews? How Should You React to Negative Reviews? 9 How Can a Tool Help Generate More Reviews?

3 The Power of Online Reviews When they re considering products or services, an incredible 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and 85% of consumers say they read up to 10 reviews before making a final purchasing decision, according to an article from Search Engine Land. With such importance placed on reviews, having positive online feedback for your business is more important than ever. In addition to serving as a powerful testament to potential customers, a positive review can provide a host of other benefits, too primarily, a stronger reputation for your company. Let s use a restaurant, for example. If you re on vacation and need to find a place to eat, you ll likely go online and use a search engine for ideas. Click on one of the results and you re sure to find a list of all the reviews that customers have posted about that particular restaurant; the good, the bad and the ugly. 1

4 If you read review after review about an Italian restaurant with pasta that tastes more like plastic than straight-out-of-tuscany, will you still go there? Or better yet, will you order that pasta? We didn t think so. The same goes for your business. Positive, favorable reviews not only increase the chances that a consumer will consider using your company, but it s likely that your business will also seem more trustworthy: If so many other people have had great experiences with this company, I probably will, too. In fact, in a recent survey from peopleclaim.com, a whopping 71% of the people agreed that consumer reviews make them more comfortable that they are buying the right product and 82% of consumers considered user generated reviews extremely valuable or valuable. That s a lot of influence from a few, short sentences. Unfortunately, negative reviews provide the exact opposite effects for your business. Consumers may look past all of the positive benefits of your services after reading one too many negative reviews and will likely not consider you for future business. With the potential for such dramatic effects, online reviews are an incredibly important aspect to consider when you re developing your marketing plan for your business. Here s how to make the most of them good and bad. 82% of people agree that user-generated reviews are extremely valuable. 2

5 Where Are Your Reviews? As the importance and utilization of internet marketing practices continues to increase, the number of places where online reviews can be posted is also growing. The most important location is your company s own web site, of course, though social media sites such as Facebook are a close second, as they are directly tied to your business. In a more general web search, your reviews can be displayed on large, popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing and others. Each of these sites is visited by millions of people every single day, so it s pivotal that you have as many positive reviews displaying on these pages as possible. Home design site Houzz has more than 15 million visitors a month, Yahoo! boasts more than 43 million unique visitors a day, and the search engine giant, Google, receives several billion visitors per day. 3

6 After all, there s no such thing as bad publicity, and we re here to show you how to make the most out of your company reviews all over the web, no matter what they say. And if you still think reviews are no big deal, consider the fact that positive customer reviews (potentially seen by countless visitors every day) actually create a 62% increase in product or service conversion, according to a marketingland.com survey. The more reviews and recommendations you have for your business, the more likely it is that consumers will purchase your products, says CNN.com. It s that simple. A highly-rated product will actually increase the likelihood of purchase by 55% according to the same survey from peopleclaim.com. In fact, Spectrum s own clients have seen this firsthand, with an average increase in leads, year over year, of 49%. Don t miss out on the incredible potential for conversions that reviews can provide. 4

7 Who Will Give You Reviews? We know that reviews can have a powerful influence on the success of our businesses. So where do we begin to make them work harder for us? First, start by evaluating what you already have: two reviews? Ten? Perhaps none at all? How many of those are positive and how many of those are negative? What sites are they posted on? Once you figure out how many reviews you have, what kind they are and where they re located, you can start to develop a plan to generate more. Start by reaching out to customers, business associates or referral clients who have had a good experience with your company. Contacting these people first is a great way to get your feet wet and let those reviews start trickling into your website. Set a monthly goal and track your progress to find out what works best for your company. 5

8 Why Would Someone Write You A Review? You ve established your target goals, selected your contacts, have sent out plenty of and phone calls...but aren t getting as many responses as you d like. So, now what? Sweeten the deal by adding an incentive to your request for reviews. People don t typically enjoy taking the time to write reviews (especially after they ve already completed their interactions with your business), so reward their efforts with a thank you gift. Spectrum clients have seen tremendous success from using gift cards from both Amazon and Restaurants.com as incentives for customers leaving reviews. Just remember that you need to make sure you are offering an incentive for writing a review and not only for writing a good review.! 6

9 What Happens When You Get Negative Reviews? While we would love to tell you that all the reviews you ask for will come back with glowing, complimentary recommendations, you will inevitably receive some negative ones. While no company wants negative reviews, this is not the worst thing that could happen. In fact, according to Search Engine Land, Negative reviews can add credibility to your positive reviews. Have you ever been to a website or third party review site and all of the reviews have been positive? Do you question the legitimacy of those reviews? We sure do. No company is perfect, so getting a negative review every once in a while is not a recipe for disaster. If you receive negative reviews on your own site or social media, it s okay. The key to handling these reviews is to respond quickly and with applicable solutions. If you come across negative reviews on sites that you do not have access to edit, such as Google+, Bing, or another public site, dealing with negative reviews is a little bit trickier. Luckily, a simple reply from your company to try and rectify the situation with the reviewer can go a long way to increase positive attitudes toward your company. 95% of unhappy customers will return if an issue is resolved quickly and efficiently. The way you address negative reviews can make the difference between keeping a customer or losing him or her; not to mention all of that person s family, friends and acquaintances that hear how unhappy he or she is with your company. 7

10 How Should You React to Negative Reviews? Though it may seem obvious to some, there are several good rules of thumb when deciding the best way to react to a negative review. How to Respond to Negative Reviews Don t insult the customer. Ever. Sincerely apologize to the customer who had a bad experience, no matter who you believe is right in the situation. Thank the reviewer for the honest feedback and politely ask for suggestions for improvement. Timing is (almost) everything. Replying within two weeks of the original post is ideal. Keep your responses professional not hostile. Be specific blanket responses that don t apply to particular reviewers are likely to upset them further. After all, if you can t take the time to read their comments, they certainly won t think you will take the time to help them resolve the issues. At the end of the day, a posted review is just that already posted. If you can t actually edit or retract a negative review, you can do your best to address it in the most professional way possible. Acknowledging that a customer is unhappy can go a long way in helping them change their minds and making your company look better in the process. Getting reviews (both good and bad) will help your company grow in more ways than one. You ll see growth in traffic, in conversions, and even your online reputation. Make reviews work harder for YOUR business! 8

11 How Can a Tool Help Generate More Reviews? All-In-One Reviews Management Online reviews can be a very powerful tool in the growth and success of your business. In addition to increasing a positive, favorable reputation for your company, positive reviews can also be source of helpful information and a key purchasing indicator to fellow consumers. Bad reviews, while obviously undesirable, can also be turned into an opportunity to show your company s commitment to customer service by replying and rectifying negative customer interactions or experiences. Spectrum s innovative Reviews Management Tool can help your business harness the power of online reviews. Let us show you just how valuable it can be to your company! Call Spectrum Today!

12 ONLINE REVIEWS + MANAGEMENT BETTER BUSINESS Learn about our REVIEWS MANAGEMENT TOOLS today. Software as a foundation. Service as a solution.