The Power of the Online Review
Is your business struggling? Have you seen a drop in the number of customers that frequent your store? Obviously, customers are the backbone of local business. Without consumers, our lifelong dream of owning a salon or pizza parlor wouldn’t exist. So how do you ensure that those customers will keep coming back?
Believe it or not, the online review plays a big role.
In a survey done this year, 5 important ideas emerged.
1) 88% have read review to determine the quality of a local business.
In today’s world, people are relying on those online reviews to tell them about local businesses- almost 9 out of 10 people. That’s huge. Businesses simply cannot ignore that statistic if they want to be successful.
2) 72% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more. Just about ¾ of consumers are listening to what other people say when determining if a business is trustworthy- which means that businesses can’t afford to get a bad name online.
3) 88% of reviewers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This statistic shows the power that online reviews truly have. People are listening to strangers online, as much as they are listening to friends and family when deciding whether or not to frequent a business. That’s a big deal. It means that online reviews hold almost as much power as Word Of Mouth.
4) 72% of consumers will take action after reading a positive review.
57% of those people say they will visit the business’s website after reading the review, and 15% say they will phone the business after reading the review. So again, having a good online reputation is key to having a successful business.
5) Reliability (27%), expertise (21%), and professionalism (18%) are the most important reputation traits for a local business. This is pretty self-explanatory. Customers want to know that the businesses they frequent are reliable. Of course, they also want to be sure that if they are going to a mechanic, for example, the shop knows how to fix their vehicle. Knowing that these traits are what consumers are looking for helps businesses know how to appeal to their customer base.
The bottom line is clear- people are talking online, and if they have good things to say about your business, it will likely bring more customers. Looking at the results of this survey, businesses should be sure to address any problems that customers have before the customer has a chance to post about it on the Internet.
