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Prepared by Verified Credible

Prepared by Verified Credible. How do people use online reviews?. Consumers use online business reviews every day to make decisions on where to spend their money. Before buying a product or choosing a local business, people often turn to the Internet to read the opinions and reviews of others.

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Prepared by Verified Credible

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  1. Prepared by Verified Credible

  2. How do people use online reviews? Consumers use online business reviews every day to make decisions on where to spend their money. Before buying a product or choosing a local business, people often turn to the Internet to read the opinions and reviews of others.

  3. Why do people use online reviews? Online reviews build buyer confidence. By reviewing the unbiased thoughts and opinions of their peers, consumers know which businesses they can trust... and which ones they should avoid.

  4. Online reviews and local businesses: What are the facts? • 67% of local consumers read online reviews about local businesses • Local consumers read up to 10 reviews before making a decision about which local business to use • 57% of consumers will avoid a local business that has negative online reviews • 49% of consumers are more likely to use a business that has positive reviews

  5. So where are all these online reviews?

  6. User Review Sites: What they are • A user review site is a website that allows consumers to read and submit testimonials about local businesses • There are many different user review sites on the Internet. They include:

  7. User Review Sites: What they are On these websites, a user can give a 1-5 rating of a business and write a testimonial. ABC Heating and Cooling Reviews “The technician was very nice. He showed up a little late, but overall I had a good experience” “They know what they’re doing, but I think they’re a little overpriced. I’d recommend them but only if you have the cash” “ABC Heating and Cooling is the best HVAC company in town! They have the most skilled technicians and their customer service is top-notch!”

  8. User Review Sites: What they are When someone browses a user review site, they see the average rating of each business ABC Heating and Cooling 15 Reviews Jerry’s Heating and Cooling 10 Reviews Home Comfort Inc. 0 Reviews 31 Reviews Chicagoland Heating Company

  9. User Review Sites: What they are These average ratings also show up in Google when you search for services in your area.

  10. User Review Sites: What they are

  11. So what does this all mean for your business?

  12. People are using online reviews to choose between you and your competitors!

  13. Better reviews means more customers! The online conversion rates for businesses with positive online reviews is higher than those with negative or no reviews ABC Local Business 15 Reviews Jerry’s Heating and Cooling 10 Reviews Home Comfort Inc. 0 Reviews 31 Reviews Chicago Local Business

  14. Better reviews means more customers! The online conversion rates for businesses with positive online reviews is higher than those with negative or no reviews

  15. But there’s a problem...

  16. Consumer behavior Case Studies Businesses often find that it’s only their unhappy customers who are writing reviews online. Buy why? • Unhappy customers are motivated to speak out by anger or feeling ripped-off • Happy customers have no motivation to write reviews, and they often don’t know that you want them to • As a result...

  17. Consumer behavior Case Studies A happy customer might tell a few people about his or her experience... ABC Business was just at my house. They really did a great job!

  18. Consumer behavior Case Studies While an unhappy customer will tell a few HUNDRED! WORST BUSINESSIN TOWN!!!!

  19. So what can you do?

  20. How to improve your online business reviews There are three things you need to do to improve your business reviews online: • Be aware • Be proactive • Be responsive

  21. Step 1: Be aware The first step toward improving your online business reviews is to actually know what’s being said about your business online.

  22. Step 1: Be aware Visit each of the review sites individually and search for your business name in your city. For businesses, the most important review sites are: • Google Places (http://www.google.com/places/) • Yahoo! Local (http://local.yahoo.com/) • Citysearch(http://www.citysearch.com) • Superpages (http://www.superpages.com) • Yellowpages (http://www.yellowpages.com) • Insiderpages (http://www.insiderpages.com/) • Whitepages (http://www.whitepages.com/) • Dexknows (http://www.dexknows.com/) • Yelp (http://www.yelp.com)

  23. Step 1: Be aware Also, do a quick Google search for “Your business name reviews” and see if any other review sites show up.

  24. Step 1: Be aware Consider keeping a record of your ratings and reviews on all of these sites.

  25. Step 2: Be proactive The best way to get more online reviews is to be proactive and ask for them! Think of all the points of contact you have with your customers and come up with a plan to solicit reviews. This can be done: • When a customer is finishing up service at a home • With a follow-up email soon after you perform a service – “Verified Credible Review Request” • On your website with a graphic, link or widget • By asking your followers on your social media profiles

  26. Step 2: Be proactive The key to asking your customers for online reviews is to make it as simple as possible. Tell them exactly what you’d like them to do and where they should do it. That means you should...

  27. Step 2: Be proactive • Request reviews as soon after you provide your service as possible • Give the customer a link to your profile on the review site you’d like to get the review • Provide specific questions they can answer when they write their review • Was the technician on time? • Did he/she keep his/her work area clean? • Did he/she adequately explain what was wrong with your unit? • Etc.

  28. Step 2: Be proactive • Remember to keep your current reviews in mind (Step 1) when you are requesting testimonials from your customers. • Try and ask your customers to submit reviews where you have poor or a low amount of reviews. 15 Reviews 5 Reviews

  29. Step 2: Be proactive A quick note about Google Places • Google Places is arguably the most important review site on the Internet • These are the only reviews that show up next to local search results on Google • It’s a good idea to build up your reputation there first, because it’s the first judgment many people will make about your business

  30. Step 2: Be proactive A quick note about Google Places

  31. Step 2: Be proactive A quick note about Yelp... • Yelp does not allow businesses to solicit reviews from customers • Even if you try, those reviews usually get filtered • The best way to manage your reputation on Yelp is to be responsive (Step 3)

  32. Step 3: Be responsive Improving your reputation online isn’t just about getting more positive reviews, it’s also about addressing your negative reviews.

  33. Step 3: Be responsive A negative review can be turned into an opportunity to learn about your business and show off your commitment to customer service.

  34. Step 3: Be responsive When you see a negative review online, consider the following things: • Is the customer making a valid point? • Is there a change you can make to avoid this from happening again? • How can you remedy the situation?

  35. Step 3: Be responsive Most online review sites give you the opportunity to publicly respond to bad reviews. When you do, make sure you: • Do it in a timely manner (remember, the date you responded will probably show up next to your comment) • Do it respectfully • Offer a call to action to remedy the situation

  36. Step 3: Be responsive Bad example: • Horrible • 5/14/11 by John312 • I called ABC Heating and Cooling to fix my broken furnace. Not only did they show up 30 minutes late, but they tracked mud down my freshly cleaned carpet! What terrible customer service! • Reply • 11/23/11 by Owner • You’re a liar! We have never been late to a service call in all of our 45 years. And don’t blame us for the mud, it was a rainy day, what were we supposed to do??!

  37. Step 3: Be responsive Good example: • Horrible • 5/14/11 by John312 • I called ABC Heating and Cooling to fix my broken furnace. Not only did they show up 30 minutes late, but they tracked mud down my freshly cleaned carpet! What terrible customer service! • Reply • 5/15/11 by Owner • We’re extremely sorry that you didn’t have a good experience with ABC Heating and Cooling. We are committed to excellent customer service, and we’d like to do what we can to remedy this. Please contact us at 555-555-5555 to further discuss this situation.

  38. Step 3: Be responsive By responding in a respectful and timely manner, you have the opportunity to: • Save an unhappy customer • Regain the trust of other people who come across the review • Get more details about the situation and make the necessary changes to prevent it from happening again

  39. To summarize, what’s the end result of all of this?

  40. The benefits of a good reputation on user review sites When you have a system in place to proactively gather online reviews and respond to negative reviews, you’ll see: • Better conversion rates on every major review site • Better conversion rates from search engine results • More buyer confidence from prospective customers • Better brand credibility • Happier customers • More business!

  41. Thank you!Robert RussoPresident, Verified Crediblewww.verifiedcredible.com 1-877-636-4442

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