Increase Your Leads With Customer Reviews

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Most of us have made the transformation from “window shopper” to what I like to call “The Modern Shopper.” We grab a seat in front of our computer, pull out the handy dandy tablet, or use our smarter-than-we-realize smart phones to browse the Internet and find products and services that we need. With so many consumers turning to the web for their shopping needs, there is as you would expect, a massive number of businesses eager to provide them with what they’re looking for.

So with competitive pricing and online marketing wars raging within all the different industries, what can your business do to get new leads and convince shoppers that you are the best fit for their needs?

Simple… Customer reviews!

Something to chew on

If you’re still not convinced of the importance of customer reviews, here are a few stats to consider:

  • According to JupiterResearch, 77 percent of online shoppers use reviews and ratings when purchasing.
  • Reviews drive 21 percent higher purchase satisfaction and 18 percent higher loyalty, according to Foresee Results.
  • BizRate found 59 percent of users considered customer reviews to be more valuable than expert reviews.
  • In a CompUSA-iPerceptions study, 63 percent of consumers indicated they’re more likely to purchase from a site if it has product ratings and reviews.

With those cold hard facts in mind it’s pretty difficult to ignore customer reviews and the value they can add to your online sales efforts. Also, keep in mind that reviews will not only improve your chances of new leads or sales conversions, but they can also move your product further up on search results. The more exposure you can get the better.

Reviews are social

The best way to view customer/user reviews is a as a part of social networking. Shoppers want to see that what other consumers have to say about a product or service before they spend their hard earned money. Think about it for a second. If you’re looking for a great restaurant and your best friend recommends a new place, chances are you’ll go give it a shot. The same goes for written reviews; see a place to eat with a bunch of 4 and 5 star ratings and comments like “I love the fish tacos,” or “this is one of the city’s best kept secrets” and trust is instantly established.

As a business owner you need to reach out to your satisfied clients and not only encourage them to leave reviews, but also make it easy for them to do so. Send them a link to your Google Places page, or Yelp Business Listing, and let them know that one of the greatest compliments they can give is in the form of a review. Remember that there will likely be a negative review or two… Try to always see negative reviews as a good thing. No business is perfect and a negative review can add credibility to your listing by showing that the reviews are genuine. Also, a bad review may help you to identify legitimate problems that need to be fixed to keep customers happy in the future.

If you’re interested in more getting more, qualified leads, Skyhook Interactive can help! Give us a call today to see how we can improve your online presence and take your sales to the next level. (480) 814-1900