Everyone loves a compliment! Online customer reviews are a great way to hear what your business is doing right. Of course, reviews can also let you know what frustrated customers feel like you are doing wrong. This feedback is incredibly valuable, and what you do with the information can be even more rewarding. If you want to learn about the power of online reviews and how to take control of your business’s reputation, continue reading!
Tapping Into Social Proof
Online reviews are so impactful because of the concept of social proof. Social proof is the phenomenon where people rely on the actions and opinions of the masses when making decisions. People have a desire to fit in with others, or they believe that a group of people will be more informed than they are as an individual.
Today, access to social proof information has increased through the prevalence of online reviewing. 82% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and over half won’t use a business if it has less than a 4-star rating. If you are not taking advantage of the power of social proof, you are doing your business a disservice.
How To Make the Most Out of Reputation Management
Now that you know the importance of online reviews, you likely want to learn how to start getting them. Birdeye is an online reputation software that streamlines the reputation management process. This platform is a one-stop shop for review requests, responding to reviews, and monitoring aggregate review ratings.
A great way to start building a collection of reviews is by setting up automatic review requests after customer interactions. Contact information such as customer email addresses and phone numbers are incredibly valuable resources for this. As you start to accumulate online reviews, you can optimize valuable insights that customers are providing you with.
Reviews will show you where your business is succeeding and struggling with customer interactions. There is value in both positive and negative reviews. This feedback will show you recurring customer praises and complaints so you can make appropriate modifications.
Responding To Customer Reviews
Having a process in place to respond to online reviews is a key element of reputation management. 96% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews, with 40% saying they always do this. Your responses to reviews will directly impact sales. Businesses who reply to customer reviews at least 25% of the time yield 35% more revenue. Those are pretty powerful numbers! Responding to positive reviews with thanks and negative reviews with genuine concern shows customers that you care about their relationship with your business.
Using Birdeye to monitor reviews is a great way to boost your business’s overall rating across the top sites such as Google, Facebook, and Yelp. If you are ready to make the most out of customer reviews, we want to help! No Time For Social can help set up your Birdeye account and get your business on the way to getting increased value from social proof. Call (512)721-0333 or fill out our contact form for a free digital strategy session today!
