The importance of review collection – Advice from a marketing agency Dorset
Did you know that 90% of people who recalled reading online reviews claimed that positive online reviews influenced their buying decisions?*
That’s a huge number of people that are going to judge your business purely based on the opinion of a stranger, so why would you risk losing that business by not keeping on top of review collection?
Nowadays, word of mouth just isn’t good enough as everyone is searching online and comparing every business they see, and regardless of if you are number 1 on Google, or number 10, negative or no reviews can have a real impact.
In this article, we look at the importance of reviews and how you can start collecting them today!
Reviews can change a customer’s perception of your business
It’s very easy to ignore a bad review and hope that no one sees it, but realistically, once it’s out there, you really should acknowledge it… Imagine that you are looking for a marketing agency in Dorset, and the first thing you read on Google is from a disgruntled customer complaining that the services are too expensive and results were poor… you’d immediately move onto the next agency.
Behind the scenes, this bad review could be completely inaccurate, old, or even spam! But no reader would know this if there wasn’t a response.
You can easily change a potential buyers opinion of your business by collecting some positive reviews.
Google hates bad reviews too
It’s not just potential customers and/or clients that bad reviews have an effect on, Google will also see these reviews and mark you down for it.
Let’s take the example of 2 Italian restaurants: both have similar authority on Google in terms of their keyword rankings, and both are keeping their website relevant and up to date. However, one has a Google ranking of 2 out of 5 and the other a 4.5 out of 5, Google will naturally rank the latter higher in the local searches.
It’s easy to stay ahead of the competition by keeping Google happy, and you’ve won half the battle!
So, what’s the best method for review collection?
Firstly, you will want to be sure that if you are giving people the option to review your products or service that you are confident you’ll get a good response – don’t forget that reviews show the good, the bad and the ugly!
Next, you want to establish the best review platform for you, here are some commonly used options:
- Google My Business – this platform is probably hardest to get reviews on as reviewers must have a Google account, so it can be seen as time-consuming. We’ve found this option is best if you know your customers very well.
- Trustpilot – many of our clients are now choosing Trustpilot as their review tool as it’s free, quick and easy for their customers to leave a review. Plus you get a handy dashboard allowing you to quickly respond to your reviews (good or bad!). Plus, it’s verified by Google. At CW Marketing, we are Trustpilot partners, so can assist you in setting up your account and managing the automation. We find this works particularly well for e-commerce sites.
- Facebook – the majority of people you meet will have a Facebook account, so requesting these reviews should be fairly straightforward. We find an effective way to get more Facebook reviews is to send a specific email campaign out.
Don’t forget, all of these methods can be paired with your chosen automation system, so you won’t have to do anything and the reviews should come flooding in!
Alternatively, choose a more niche website…
Sometimes, depending on your industry, you may opt for a more specific, niche review site, for example, we work with some clients within the care industry and there are many specific care review sites that are verified by Google that can be very beneficial in review collection.
Need help with your marketing strategy and review collection?
As a full-service marketing agency in Dorset, we help many small-medium enterprises (SME’s) with their online presence and marketing strategy, and whilst we’re on the subject of great reviews, here are some of ours…
Everyone at CW Marketing is amazing. All the team are very helpful & friendly and have great ideas, nothing was too much trouble. They delivered a fantastic website for me. Highly recommended. Thank you. – Samantha
CW Marketing has helped us build our website and online shop with great success, can’t thank you guys enough. There are plenty of people sat in a bedsit who may be able to build you a cheap website if that’s what you want! But CW Marketing offers the full package and ongoing marketing support! – Alan Ranger
If you are looking for a marketing agency Dorset, get in touch today by calling us on 01202 888200 or email us on info@www.cwmarketing.co.uk.
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*(Dimensional Research)