
Research from Nielsen revealed that recommendations from acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of ‘advertising.’ A recent blog post from eConsultancy shows that:
- 61 per cent of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision;
- Reviews produce an average 18 per cent uplift in sales; and
- 47 per cent of Britons have reviewed products online.
Five reasons why you need online reviews
Online reviews are basically a word-of-mouth marketing strategy, which has long been known as the most powerful endorsement a brand can have.1. They help you build consumer confidence and trust
2. They increase your click-through rates (CTRs)
Featuring reviews from your happy customers in search results when consumers search for your product gets you more click-throughs and, in turn, more conversions. Find a platform that feeds your reviews straight into your Google Seller Ratings: on average, ads with Seller Ratings get a 17 per cent higher CTR than the same ads without ratings.3. They can help improve conversion rates
Businesses that have been using online review solutions show that their online sales have increased anywhere from 7.5 per cent to 60 per cent due to increased trust from sceptical buyers.4. They give you great content to share on social media
With 92 per cent of people trusting recommendations from people they know, an online review system that lets you share your reviews easily on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ will enable your customers to spread trust among their peers, increasing your customer base.5. They keep your customers engaged
What next?
So now that you know why online reviews are a must-have for your business, and how to use them to win more customers and more repeat business, what do you do next?You need to:
- Embrace the new world of online reviews and learn how to make them work for your business to increase conversions;
- Review your online review platform options and choose the one that best suits your needs. Can you respond to reviews? Will it push your reviews to Google and feed them into your Google Seller Ratings? Can it share them easily to social media platforms?
- Get your platform up and running and start collecting reviews from your existing customers before your competition does;
- Respond to your reviews, good and bad, and share them across all of your marketing channels; and
- Sit back and watch as your glowing reviews generate more business.
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