7 Reasons Online Reviews Are Essential for Your Brand
We help businesses like yours get a steady stream of reviews
You know what's mental? A man who runs a local garage - said he's never bothered with online reviews.
"Don't need 'em," he said. "Word of mouth has always worked fine."
Thing is, he’s struggling to get new customers while his competitor down the road is booked solid for weeks.
Guess what the difference is?
1. Nobody Trusts You Without Them Anymore
Seriously, when did you last buy something without checking what other people said about it first?
Even my dad reads TripAdvisor before booking a hotel now.
If you've got no reviews, people assume you're either new, rubbish, or hiding something. Fair or not, that's just how it is these days.
2. Google's Playing Favourites
Google's got this thing where it basically ignores businesses without reviews.
I've seen companies get buried on page five, while their competitors with numerous reviews sit pretty at the top.
It's not rocket science - Google figures if real people are talking about you, you must be doing something right.
3. Free Market Research
Every review is someone telling you exactly what they think.
Sarah loves how quickly you answer the phone. Mike thinks your prices are too high. Janet wishes you worked Saturdays.
Most businesses pay thousands for this kind of feedback. You're getting it handed to you on a plate.
4. Your Customers Become Your Sales Team
"These guys sorted my boiler out in two hours on Christmas Eve. Absolute legends."
Try writing an advert that good. You can't. But Mrs Johnson from Chelmsford just did it for you, and everyone believes her because she's got nothing to sell.
5. Size Doesn't Matter Anymore
Used to be that the biggest company with the flashiest website won. Not anymore. Now it's whoever's got the happiest customers shouting about it online.
Good locally run companies have a huge advantage over national chains, because they get to know their customers on a personal level.
This is something a national chain cannot do.
6. Even Bad Reviews Help
Sounds mad, but it's true. A few negative reviews mixed in with the good ones actually make you look more genuine.
Plus, how you handle complaints tells people everything about your character. Mess it up and you look awful. Handle it well, and you look like a hero.
7. They Work When You Don't
Your reviews are out there doing their thing at 3am on a Tuesday, convincing someone to call you instead of your competitor.
While you're asleep, they're making you money.
That's the kind of employee you want - never takes a sick day, never asks for a raise, works every hour of every day.
Here's the Thing
Look, I'm not saying reviews solve everything. You still need to be good at what you do.
You still need to treat people right. But if you're doing those things and not getting reviews to prove it, you're basically invisible.
Your reputation used to travel at the speed of conversation.
Now it travels at the speed of the internet. You can either get on board or get left behind.
Want Reviews on Autopilot?
If all this makes sense but you're thinking "I haven't got time to chase customers for reviews," then you're not alone.
That's exactly why we built Customer Feedback Centre.
We help businesses like yours get a steady stream of reviews without you having to remember to ask every single customer.
It's all automated, so you can focus on what you do best while we make sure your happy customers are telling everyone about it.
Fancy a chat about how it works? Drop us a line - we'd love to help you get those reviews flowing.
I hope the above article was of interest and you found it useful.
If you need our help, then please arrange a call with me.
Author: Andrew Hurrell
