Article courtesy of Washington Retail partners at SpotOn
Over the past five plus years, online reviews have become essential for consumers. It helps them decide which products or services to buy, where to travel, and even where to eat. With the pandemic still surging, many businesses moved operations online or changed them completely. Adjusting hasn’t been easy, for business owners or consumers, but thankfully, Google and Yelp Reviews updated their guidelines to protect small, local businesses from reputational harm during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, even with those protections in place, now is the perfect time to consider improving your reputation and thinking long-term. Here are five reasons why managing your reviews is more important than ever.
- Increase in Revenue
Did you know that customers are likely to spend 31% more on products/services from businesses with excellent reviews? Every online review that recommends your business is a powerful form of online marketing that attracts new customers, which means an increase in revenue. Also, having numerous positive reviews increases the likelihood of customers paying more money for products or services because they see the value you offer.
- Additional Constructive Criticism
Even though bad reviews may seem scary, they can be a good opportunity to resolve a customer’s problem and improve your business practices. Many customers also have great ideas or suggestions that might help improve your business, or new products that they wish you offered. Take the best ideas, the best criticism, and turn it into your inspiration for constant improvement.
- Better Relationships with Your Customers
Online reviews allow you to develop closer relationships with your customers. Because most review sites are an open forum, you have the opportunity to show interest in what your customers have to say, get familiar with who they are, and reinforce positive reviews. Also, it gives you a way to rectify a poor review. Replying to both positive and negative reviews allows you to show interest in what they have to say and strengthen your relationships.
- Increased Visibility in Search Engines
Each type of search engine has its way of listing and showing results. However, they all value the newest and most original content, and luckily customer reviews fall into this category. Every time that you get a new review, your website will get a boost, at some point, by algorithms. This way, you drive more traffic to your website, a perfect thing for your e-commerce store or your restaurants’ own online ordering.
- Your Business is Viewed as Trustworthy
Closer relationships, visibility in search engines, and numerous positive reviews help shape your business’ outside identity. This also helps your customers know you, and eventually trust you to make a purchase. Trust and credibility also help make amends for when your customers don’t get the experience they were expecting, giving you a second chance for the future. Add it all up, and there are plenty of reasons why you should make online reviews a priority, especially with all the tools that SpotOn provides to make review management quick and easy.
Washington Retail recognizes retailers’ need to build strategies to improve online presence and reputations. SpotOn is our partner and we encourage you to seek more information by contacting Patrick Wiltsey, Director of Business Development, at 303-835-3217 or [email protected]
