What Experts Say About the Importance of Reviews
People always research about the business and its services or products before they choose to buy from them. A survey by BrightLocal revealed that around 68% of people are more likely to use a business after reading positive online reviews.
Online reviews have taken a permanent place in the purchase cycle of the customers. People research products or services online, read both positive and negative reviews and then purchase the product after they are fully convinced. This means you can’t succeed in this review prioritized world if you don’t leverage the power of positive online reviews.
Let’s see what the top marketing experts are saying about the importance of reviews:
1. Neil Patel: Being Proactive Drives ROI
One of the top influencers on the web and a New York Times bestselling author, Neil Patel explains about the power of online reviews in a recent article.
Patel notes that “online reviews can make or break any business.” Most business owners see social proof as being out of their control, but as Patel points out, leaving such an important element of your digital footprint unattended is a bad idea.
People are more likely to buy from a business that has excellent reviews, and they’re likely to spend 31% more money, too.
Marketing School, a podcast that he hosts with Eric Siu, gets great reviews for Neil Patel – an average of 4.9 ratings out of 5 stars. So his advice can be seen in action with his own products, whether it’s his premium courses, his free SEO tools, his consulting agency or his free digital content.
2. Jayson DeMers: Cover all Relevant Channels
DeMers is the founder and CEO of Audience Bloom, a Seattle-based content marketing firm. In this article published on Forbes, he explains how the quality and quantity of the online reviews you receive can have a big impact on your company’s bottom line.
As DeMers explains, online reviews help people to make their buying decisions. People trust reviews as personal recommendations, and therefore companies must take every step to earn online reviews.
Enabling customer reviews on your own site can have a positive impact on the organic search rankings. Besides, user reviews can also be displayed by Google as rich answers to specific search queries.
Lastly, the number of aggregate online reviews your business generates has a direct impact on the purchasing decision of the consumer. Hence, reviews on sites like Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, etc. all matter for your business.
3. Megan Krause: Win Over the Critics
Megan is a senior editor, working with Vertical Measures, a Phoenix-based digital marketing agency. In an article published recently on MarketingLand, Megan focuses on the importance of negative reviews and how to turn them into positive ones.
Negative reviews serve to alert you about problems in your business that you might be unaware of. Further, they provide you an opportunity to improve brand sentiment, because people are able to actually see and read to your responses to negative reviews. Plus, your organic SEO gets a boost, because reviews add legitimacy to your business.
If you take no action on the negative reviews left by your customers, then people might leave your business.
Hence, online reviews are not only crucial when acquiring new customers, but they are also helpful for retaining existing customers.
Final Thoughts
Online reviews help to optimize the overall customer experience. It lets you create a positive online footprint and offers several advantages that your competitors might be lacking. The sooner you take the appropriate steps to control the impact of online reviews, the better grow your business will achieve. Follow the advice of these top marketing experts and take your business to the next level.
