Thanks to the internet, customers changed their ways of make purchasing decisions. Some years back, consumers rely on the in-your-face, one-way marketing messages for information about a brand. Today, consumers view these brand-crafted contents with suspicion. More and more consumers are turning towards Google, Yelp and other review sites as unbiased references. Reputation management is the cornerstone to the success of every single sale companies make.

Without a doubt, getting existing customers to review your products or services offers so many benefits. That is why advocacy marketing and reputation management should be your top priorities.

By the Numbers: The Power of Online Reviews

• 88% of people read online reviews of businesses before visiting them.
• A single bad online review can make you lose 30 customers.
• 68% of millennials place more trust in online reviews as against 34% who trust online adverts.
• Consumers are likely to spend 31% more on businesses that have great reviews.
• 72% of customers say they trust a business more because of its positive reviews.
• Four or more negative reviews about your services or products might make you lose 70% of your potential customers.

What Positive Online Reviews Could Mean for Your Business

More Sales

Sales rely on reputation management, advocacy marketing and positive reviews to your business. Customers find validation online before making the decision to purchase from the business. With great reviews of your business online, prospective customers are more likely to buy.

Higher Website Ranking

Every business aims to have strong online visibility. If you are struggling and failing to get your website seen on the internet, you should consider having great online reviews. Popular search engines, including Google, have algorithms that identify websites with excellent reviews. With positives reviews, search engines register brand quality and customer satisfaction. Thus, apart from implementing SEO practices, advocacy marketing is one of the sure-fire ways to get a high website ranking.

Increased Conversion Rate

Positive online reviews are similar to word of mouth. Most consumers are influenced to patronise your business by reviews of previous customers. Thus it crucial to ensure that customers do not just have excellent experiences, but also leave 5-stars ratings. The more positive reviews you have, the more convinced consumers are to use your services and buy your products. Therefore, having positive reviews increases your conversion rate and boosts sales and revenue.

Improved Reputation and Brand Visibility

Although a well-planned marketing campaign can gain new brand loyalist, it isn’t as effective as advocacy marketing. Today, consumers have more trust in the opinion of others than paid campaigns. According to 2015 report by Nielsen, 83% of consumers trusted the recommendations of family and friends.

Great online reviews help you build a trusted brand with a solid reputation on quality and customer satisfaction. So while you are stepping up your marketing efforts, you should also work to get great online reviews.

High Keyword

One of the ways positive online reviews help your business succeed is through the keywords included by customers. These keywords are seen by search engines and improve ranking on product searches.

Better Customer Engagement

Many times, customers who left reviews come back to see comments on their reviews. Other times, customers revisit the site for other peoples’ feedbacks.  This creates an online social community that drives engagement and attachment to your brand.

Getting Your Business Really Viewed

That positive online reviews are the modern-day word of mouth is without question. But how do you get excellent reviews without the negative ones? So how do you turn a bad review experience into gaining a brand loyalist? It’s simple – Reallyview.

Reallyview is the go-to innovative advocacy and reputation marketing tool. It automates the feedback collection, analysis and response process using AI. It helps you understand customers’ preferences and how they feel.

With Reallyview, every one of your customers become brand advocates. They would generate more positive reviews, usher in customers and yield higher ROI.

Explore our advocacy marketing demos today to stay ahead.