Have you ever been out with friends and decided to grab something to eat? You may be in a new part of town and don’t know what places are good. What do you do? Well most people will pull out their smart phones and search “places to eat near me”. Google will then show you a list of restaurants near you. You will be able to see where each place is and user ratings of the restaurant.

Which restaurant do you choose? Do you look at the whole list? Do you pick the restaurant closest to you? Do you consider reviews?

Studies show that 90% of customers use online reviews when making purchase decisions. 64% of people search for reviews online and 85% of customers are more likely to purchase products or services when the can find recommendations online.

Why do people do this? Why do customer posted online reviews matter? Companies post testimonials all the time which influence consumer behavior, but not nearly as effectively as reviews. Why is that?

“A business owner won’t post a bad testimonial on their own website. However, online reviews are populated by the consumers themselves, lending them more credibility. —Todd Sachs, CEO, DotStudio andMeetlocalbiz.com”

Customers use online reviews to decide what service they want to use or which product to purchase. Online reviews are created by customers so they give credibility to the opinions express. As a business owner, this means you need online reviews. How do you do that? How do you get customers to talk about you online without paying them?

1. Improve the customer experience

Did you know that 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated? Give customers an experience that makes them want to tell everyone about you. An easy way to figure out what improvements to make is to experience your business for yourself. Call your company. How do your employees answer the phone? Do they make it easy to get information? Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and look for ways to make the experience better. After you make changes, monitor the feedback. See if people are happier and more content.

How do you monitor feedback? Easy. Online reviews. See what your customers are telling the rest of the worl

2. Ask

Go ahead and ask for a customer to write a review. Train your staff to ask for a review at check out and make sure the customer understands that their opinion is appreciated and needed. Don’t be afraid. The worst thing that can happen is for them to say no.

3. Make it easy

Give people the links they need to follow to write a review. Send out emails asking for reviews that include links to the review site. Utilize social media and send out links that way. Make signs in the office that show websites to leave reviews at. The easier it is for customers the more likely they will be to write a review.

For more ideas check out Reputation’s article on online reviews. Also, check out MOZ’s section on reviews.

The more reviews you have online, the more willing people will be to use your business. In the new digital era, content is king and the biggest creator of content is everyday people. Consumers have a voice so use it to your advantage. If you need any more help with online content or digital marketing in general, reach out to us! CarCareCONNECT would love to help you grow your business by building your online presence.

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