It’s your responsibility as the owner of small businesses to promote your company to as many people as possible. Marketing, advertising, referrals — clearly those strategies pay off.
So does placing your business on as many review sites as possible. A 2018 ReviewTrackers Online Reviews Survey found that over 60% of consumers are more likely to search online reviews before purchasing. Yelp is second with 45 percent followed by TripAdvisor (which means you must appear in Google Business listings).
TrustPilot and Reseller Ratings, Yelp, FourSquare, Yelp — depending on your business, there may be several review sites that are appropriate for you. TripAdvisor, for instance, can be a great choice if your local business is run.
Overeview sites are not just for the purpose of acquiring new customers. More than 90 percent of customers say that an online review convinced them to steer clear of a company. A rating below four stars is unacceptable. Eighty percent of consumers say they won’t trust a business that has a lower than a five-star rating.
The best part? 53 percent of customers expect businesses to respond to negative reviews, while 63 percent claim that no business has ever replied to their reviews.
You can also use review websites to improve your products or services if you pay attention.
LogoMix didn’t know we had a quality problem with one of their products until people complained about review sites. They did not share their feedback with LogoMix, but they shared it with everyone. This was not a rare experience. Customers have been taught not to expect a response from businesses when they complain. Many will instead go straight to their preferred review site to voice their concerns.
We quickly identified the problem and were able to fix it. We now have a plan to use review sites to improve our products and make them more useful for customers.
You can too. If you see a negative review, please let us know.
1. Reach out to your customer.
The majority of people expect businesses to respond quickly. However, the fact that you do will instantly set you apart.
2. Discuss their experiences.
Do not be defensive; most customer complaints are at best partially valid.
3. Ask questions for clarity.
You can find out the cause of the problem by determining what happened and when it occurred.
4. Resolve customer’s problem.
Re-use the product. Re-do the service. Re-engage a customer who is unhappy. You can often turn a disgruntled customer into a satisfied customer by showing care.
5. Fix the root problem.
Perhaps the problem is not with your product. Perhaps your instructions are not clear. Perhaps your marketing has created unrealistic expectations. Sometimes, the customer may not be right. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. It is your job to make each customer feel they are right.
Review sites are not just for marketing. You should create a process that allows review sites to be used as a way to reach satisfied and dissatisfied customers, and also receive the feedback you need to improve your business. This will ensure that you get the reviews that convert more potential customers into actual customers.
ReviewInc conducted a survey in August to determine which sites’ ratings, recommendations, reviews, and reviews were most trusted. Similar surveys were also conducted in 2015 and 2016, with eight choices: Google, Better Business Bureau (Yelp), TripAdvisor (YellowPages.com), Yelp, TripAdvisor (YellowPages.com), None, and Other.
Google Maps, and the Better Business Bureau remain the most trusted review sites. Users 55-65+ are most likely to use the Better Business Bureau. They make up almost half of the total number of users who use Yahoo Reviews. Yahoo Reviews was taken down in late 2018 in favor of Yelp reviews, so now Yelp reigns at number 3. At number 4, Trip Advisor is not far behind. Facebook is number 5, as in previous years. Yellow Pages comes in sixth, followed by none or another.
Yelp is especially popular with younger respondents, particularly in the hospitality and service industries (restaurants, hotels, salons etc.). Next is Trip Advisor, which is popular with local businesses and travel destinations that visitors from out of town are interested in sight-seeing. Facebook was founded as a social network and not a review site. However, it is growing in popularity due to its business pages. It is less trusted by those aged 18 to 35. Due to privacy concerns and data breaches, the social network has suffered a significant loss of credibility, especially among younger users.
The Better Business Bureau’s brand recognition and reputation as a trustworthy organization for a business is what makes it so popular with older customers.
This survey shows that business owners should encourage potential customers to review their business on as many websites as possible, including those mentioned in the survey.
ReviewInc is the most trusted online reputation management software that allows businesses to create a review flow and ask customers for more reviews. Customers who are happy do not leave reviews often because they aren’t asked. Customers can easily find your business on review sites and leave reviews with our feedback flow. ReviewInc offers a free demo to show you how our feedback campaigns work.
