Over the last few years we have witnessed an explosion of reviews appearing all over the internet. They are very popular, mainly because they allow people to find out what others think of a product or service before they decide to make a purchase. However, they also have many benefits for businesses, and here are three of the main ones.
1. An Excellent Publicity Tool
You can choose from a wide range of online publicity tools these days, including social networking, press releases, blogs and more. However, these usually involve explaining why you are the best for a certain product or service, which is what every business will be saying about themselves anyway.
Reviews introduce the power of recommendations, which can be an even more effective form of publicity. These are just like testimonials, but they are even more trustworthy because you do not get to hide the bad reviews and show the good ones. You have no control over which reviews are displayed, but as long as your reviews are mainly positive, they can provide you with excellent free publicity.
2. Connect with Your Customers
You can use reviews to build trust through engaging with your customers, and this works for both positive and negative reviews. If someone leaves a good review, you may be able to thank them (depending on the platform used for the review), and this will help to reinforce the relationship and improve the chances that they will buy from you again.
If someone leaves a negative review, you can approach them and ask them how you can rectify the situation. If this is done publicly, other people will see that you are a company that cares, and the customers who you connect with individually will become more engaged with your brand.
3. Discover Problems
No one likes to receive negative reviews. However, you should not worry about them because as you get more reviews, you are almost certain to pick up a few. Sometimes things go wrong over which you have no control, so the best idea is to avoid taking them personally.
However, often you may be alerted to problems in negative reviews of which you were unaware, and in this way they can provide you with an opportunity to change things that you have been doing wrong.
Reviews are generally very honest, so if numerous customers start highlighting an unsatisfactory experience, this could alert you to a problem. You may then be able to make a simple change that could suddenly lead to more satisfied customers. In addition, other people may then notice that you have reacted to the reviews, and this will show that you are a company that wants to provide the best service possible.
Take Advantage of Online Reviews
You can take advantage of online reviews in many ways. You should never be worried about negative reviews because you are certain to get a few, and instead simply provide the best service you can and encourage more customers to leave reviews so that you can take advantage of all of the benefits they provide.
