Here is what you can do to capitalize!
Online reviews do not really matter, right? Wrong! The truth of the matter is that your very survival as a going concern depends on your ability to harness the power of online reviews. Looking for hard statistics? Well, how about the fact that 90% of people who were interviewed by Dimensional Research admitted to being influenced by online reviews in their buying decisions. That, in any case, is a figure that you cannot afford to ignore as a business. So, why do consumers rely on online reviews and what is it that you can do to capitalize on the power of reviews?
Start Collecting Online Reviews Today
The sad fact is that not all businesses that are out there see the importance of gathering online reviews. If you are the owner of one such business, you are missing out on a lot of potential, as far as generating more revenue is concerned.
It’s an astonishing fact that some people do not see the need to harness the power of online reviews, despite the fact that getting listed on such platforms as Yelp, Google and TripAdvisor comes mostly free of charge.
Fortunately, all is not lost. There are things that you can do to start benefiting from online reviews today!
Take advantage of the free listings
In most instances, you will notice that though you may not have claimed your listing on Yelp or Google, your business will still appear as people review it. That is usually the case when it comes to large businesses. What it means is that you do not actually need to claim a listing in order to start getting reviewed.
Such reviews can be devastating
One of the things that we are always mentioning to our readers is that reviews that accumulate this way tend to be devastating to businesses. Just consider the following; if you do not actively set out to gather online feedback, the people who are most likely to review your business are those who have had a negative interaction with it.
That is the reason why it is imperative for you to go to Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor, and many other free review platforms to claim your business today! Doing this allows you to fully interact with your customers in a way that benefits your business. It also gives you the platform on which to encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews of your business.
Get Star Rating by Signing up with Shopper Approved
Now, the free listings that we have just been talking about are good when it comes to the basic process of gathering and responding to online reviews. However, you should go beyond that to begin fully harnessing the power of reviews. But, how do you achieve this seemingly lofty aim?
The answer is simple enough. What you need to understand as a business person is that online reviews form part of the data that is used by Google and other Search Engines for star rating extensions.
What are star rating extensions?
Those little starts that appear in your Google Ads, in organic search results and in Google PLAs actually play a significant role in boosting your CTR. In fact, according to Google, you can expect a CTR boost of up to 17 should you begin using star rating extensions.
How do you get star ratings?
Star rating extensions are a topic that we have talked about exhaustively on this blog. Needless to say here that Google has licensed a number of companies to push the data that is used for star rating extensions.
One such company is Shopper Approved. The great thing about Shopper Approved is that not only does it provide your business with all the tools that you need in order to begin gathering local, merchant, and product reviews, but it also pushes the data that is collected to Google. This allows you to begin showcasing star ratings in your search results.
How much does it cost?
You can sign up for Shopper Approved using our link and you will get 30 days free. That’s more than you would get should you choose to sign up the normal way. Afterwards, you can expect a significant discount on your Shopper Approved payments!
Respond to customer queries
There are instances where a business is so big that it may be impossible to fully respond to all feedback that comes from its customers. Think of Amazon, as an example. However, for most businesses that are out there, responding to online reviews is simply a matter of making the commitment.
Several advantages accrue to your business when it comes to responding to online reviews. For one thing, there is the fact that you can use them as a barometer, enabling you to get better by taking heed of the concerns and issues that are raised by your customers.
If your customers have been complaining about slow shipping, as an example, you can explore other shipping avenues that may enable your products to reach them in the shortest possible time.
Responding to customer concerns is a good way through which you can build rapport with your customers. Even someone who has just posted a negative review can be turned into a long-term customer by making sure that the issues that they raise are addressed.
Don’t be afraid to ask
Finally, depending on the platform on which you wish to have reviews left, don’t be afraid to ask your customers to give you feedback. People do not have the natural inclination to give feedback to businesses.
Again, leaving things to fate will only result in you being overwhelmed with negative reviews, because the only people who are really motivated to go online to leave a review are dissatisfied customers.
You do need to be careful, however, when it comes to asking for online reviews for your business. Some platforms, such as Yelp, actively frown upon businesses that solicit reviews. However, others, including Google, encourage business to actively ask for feedback from their customers.
