When was the last time you didn’t take a positive or negative comment into account before clicking the shopping cart button or making a purchase of any kind? You’re not alone…93% of consumers say online reviews impact purchase decisions. Not only that, 63% of consumers are willing to pay up to 15% more for a better experience!
Now you tell me…is a review about your business important? Can it alter someone’s shopping perspective? No doubt!
Here’s yet another important stat to think about…Consumers are also more proactive than ever when it comes to their buying decisions. According to Power Reviews, 89% of consumers consider reviews to be an essential resource when making a purchase decision. Looks like people are listening to the advertiser less and looking to their peers mostly unbiased opinions to help them to make a purchase decision – or not.
Last, but certainly not least, customer reviews can help determine the ranking your business will receive in the google search engine. And because Google reviews and Google Maps go together, an optimized Google listing can help businesses increase their visibility, gain a competitive edge, and boost their rankings on SERPs. Google looks at the quantity, quality, frequency, and recency of online reviews.
This means that businesses that consistently get a large number of high star ratings and reviews are likely to get more consideration from the popular search engine. For instance, a rating of 4.5 and above indicates the trust of customers for a particular brand, and Google recognizes that.
So now you know why a review about your business is so important, let’s talk about the type of content you need in a review and where to use it.
- Ensure the Google Business Profile (GBP) allocated to your business is up and running and full of the content and visuals that google suggests you include.
- Provide a link to write a review on your GBP on your website, in your email signature, in emails and social posts.
- Where possible, prompt satisfied customers to share their review. Note that you cannot do this for them. The review has to emanate from their gmail address.
- You, the owner of the GBP will be advised when you receive a review and will be able to personally respond to the reviewer – it’s up to you, but a Starbucks Gift Card might be in order!
- Those same words now captured in your GBP can and should repurposed elsewhere.
So now you know the importance of a review:
- It could sway your prospective customer into considering purchasing from you
- It could help generate a qualified lead as a result of your improved search engine ranking
- It provides you with valuable, unbiased content that you can repurpose across your many other methods of communication
What is the downside of a google review? It could be negative rather than positive. However, assuming your reviews are positive, they represent a powerful tactic to gain customer confidence leading to an inquiry – even sale! Yes, it’s time and energy consuming to accumulate reviews, but don’t hesitate…they’re a vital ingredient in supporting your marketing efforts.
