The Importance of Customer Reviews

The dreaded customer reviews! When one hears the ding of a notification bell, (alerting you to a new review) there is that moment of anticipation mixed with fear. Did the customer like my product or service, or did I not meet their needs? Regardless of your opinion of customer reviews, they are profoundly important and here are the reasons I argue their importance.

Feedback

Without feedback, good or bad, your business can not grow. Customer reviews help you build on the great aspects of your business. More importantly, reviews help you tidy up the aspects of your business your customers see as less desirable.

Word Of Mouth

Nothing showcases your business like word of mouth. I can understand how this might scare some business owners, but you must think of the positives. The customer can showcase different aspects of your business that lack advertising or are overshadowed by your popular products. Without promoting by word of mouth, you are selling yourself short and stunting the growth of your business.

Reviews Instill Trust

You can make a list of all the great aspects of your business and shout it from the rooftops, but for some customers, they need reassurance from a real life customer who has used your services, or purchased your products. Customers will be far more trusting of you if you allow customers to review your work.

Customers Love Star Ratings

For some reason, customers take a lot of stock in star ratings. With star ratings you are afforded an extra layer of credibility for your business or product. The star rating system is used widely, and it is useful when one wants to see an overall opinion of a business, but doesn’t want to read the reviews. A great business tactic is to show the star ratings at the top of the page, but not the contents of the review itself. The customer is more likely to look at how many 5 star reviews you have over the content itself.

A Negative Review Isn’t Always A Bad Thing!

No one likes a negative review, they can be rife with emotion, and sometimes not relevant to you or your business. But, the parts that are meant for you will help you improve and can actually help customers choose you over someone else. Everyone gets bad reviews, but many customers actually look at the bad reviews and compare companies based on that one aspect alone. Again, it all leads back to transparency in your business which is vital to your success as a business owner. For your business to flourish, as a business owner you must love and embrace customers reviews.

There is no need to be afraid of reviews and they should be embraced for all of the positivity and growth they can bring to your business. Customers are the best ambassadors of your business and their reviews will speak volumes about who you are and what you have to offer.

Still unsure about how to handle your online reviews ? Unify Marketing & Technology Solutions can help. Contact us TODAY to learn more!