The Power of Online Reviews
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
While years ago, before the advent of the internet, clients or customers interested in a certain product or service, they’d turn to their friends, family, neighbors, or others in their close circle of individuals. This traditional word of mouth is still powerfully persuasive regarding purchasing decisions (and any kind of decision), but in our technology and internet-driven age, consumers reach out to the opinions of other consumers—typically strangers from anywhere around the world—through reviews and ratings.
In this post, we’ll discuss why online reviews are so important and increasingly instrumental to business success and provide some tips on how you can receive better online reviews.
Why are online reviews important?
According to 2018 studies from Power Reviews, research demonstrates that 97% of consumers read online reviews or ratings when considering making a purchase or spending money. The same research reveals that 70% of consumers won’t purchase a product or service without reading reviews or ratings.
Reviews are social proof of how a business operates, and they help businesses get attention, start conversations about the business, build trust, earn more leads that convert to sales (when the reviews are positive), elevate search engine rankings, and persuade potential customers to interact with the business (as online reviews are typically clients’ first impressions and contact with your business).
Clearly, reviews are essential for any business to succeed and grow these days.
But the fascinating element of online reviews is that they shift the power to the public—strangers—to sway public opinion in or against your favor. And it can be difficult to change an overwhelmingly negative narrative of your business once it exists on the internet. So, online reviews are incredibly influential—both in a positive and negative way—on your business.
How to receive better online reviews
Add your business/practice to online review sites
In order to even obtain positive reviews, you need to have a place for your clients to leave reviews. It’s best to have multiple locations to leave reviews or feedback, including your own website and other review sites like G2, Yelp, Google Local, CPA Practice Advisors, GoodFirms, and more. Don’t only leave a place for reviews on your website, as clients and customers can’t see if you filter through the reviews and how people truly feel about your business. Having multiple review locations increases your online visibility and client options and, in turn, the chances that a client or customer will leave a review.
Add existing reviews to your website
Showcasing reviews on your website not only incentivizes potential clients to purchase from or go into business with you, but it motivates existing clients to leave reviews as well. It’s kind of like a herd mentality: when you see others leaving reviews, you feel compelled to do so as well (but if you don’t see any reviews for a business on their website, you might think others aren’t benefiting much from said business).
When showcasing reviews, it’s important to find a few strong reviews that reflect well upon multiple aspects of your business. For example, you might want to present one review that talks about the pricing, one about how your business benefits them and others, and one review from an industry expert. Adding some variety reveals how well-rounded and overwhelmingly valuable your business is.
Ask your clients for reviews
Sadly, you can’t just wait, lounging around for positively glowing reviews to fall on your lap.
However, if you actually ask your clients for reviews—including in-person, on virtual video chat, or via email—they’re more likely to leave one, and a good one at that. 68% of clients/customers will leave reviews if asked. Typically, asking face-to-face—whether that’s in-person or virtually—is more likely to resonate with your client and show that you care about them and their perspective. But it doesn’t hurt to follow up with an email or other form of correspondence to reinforce your request and demonstrate how greatly you value your clients and their feedback. Make sure you direct them to your preferred review site (or the best place to leave their reviews), too, as it’ll incentivize them to leave a review with how accessible you make the process and easier for you to find.
Interact with your clients and their reviews
If you take the time out of your day to interact with your clients personally, especially on social media but also through a personalized email, it can go a long way. 89% of consumers are “highly” or “fairly” likely to use a business that responds to all of its online reviews. This research illustrates that social media accounts for businesses that interact with clients and other businesses are more likely to generate leads and profitable business because clients will trust the personal connection your business purposefully creates with others.
But if you even take the time to interact with your clients who leave reviews, this encourages existing and new coming clients to leave reviews as well. Showing your appreciation and respect for your reviewers is as easy as thanking them with a simple reply on the review site and your social media channels.
While your business will inescapably face a negative review, don’t let this deter you from interacting with your reviews. A few bad reviews aren’t reflective of your business or practice as a whole, and you can’t satisfy every single customer who approaches you. Plus, very few people would trust and give away their money to a business with only perfect reviews, especially since most of us have witnessed the scammy paid reviews on Amazon products.
After receiving negative feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out or respond to the unhappy clients and illustrate how you’re willing to take the time out of your day to listen to them and help them if possible. But do avoid responding to any scammy or seemingly spammy reviews, as interacting with these kinds of reviews would be a waste of your time and might not reflect well on your business.
Conclusion
All in all, reviews can determine the future of your business, so it's important to see positive reviews of your practice. But, to get these positive reviews, you should: promote your business on numerous review sites, add reviews to your business’s website, provide an excellent experience for your clients, and interact with your clients on multiple levels (such as asking for reviews and thanking them for their feedback or connecting through social media interactions).
By implementing these tips, you’ll soon see a multitude of positive reviews and establish a strong, respected reputation for your business, leading to successful growth and revenue for your practice.
Ready to give Uncat a spin? Schedule a demo, watch our tutorial videos, or start your free 14-day trial of Uncat today!