97% of consumers now use online media when they’re researching products and services in their local areas, according to a research study done by BIA/Kelsey and ConStat. Among the consumers surveyed, 90% use search engines, 48% use online Yellow Pages, 24% use vertical websites and 42% use comparison shopping websites.
So if you weren’t sure whether your online reputation mattered, you can now see that it does. No one is immune from customer reviews. There was a time when you would see reviews largely in very customer focused industries like the restaurant industry and hotel industry. Now that people are more accustomed to seeing online reviews, it has spread to other industries like roofing, cosmetic surgery, laser eye surgery and optometry where customer insight can be way more valuable than with a restaurant review.
If your business is in any of these, or similar industries, you can benefit from customer reviews because it will help create trust in a meaningful way. Below are some examples of five star reviews and a short explanation of what makes the review good that can help increase your business while building trust:
Chiropractor Houston – 5 stars
I first visited CORE Chiropractic in December 2012 after reading rave reviews. I visited the office and was treated in a very friendly, professional manner by all the staff members. I met with Dr. Kevin Wafer and he has continued to give me adjustments on his suggested treatment plan. I feel great! Just prior to seeing Dr. Wafer, I was beginning to have regular headaches. Since the treatments, the headaches have disappeared. I also usually had upper back/neck problems on a regular basis. Not anymore. I highly recommend the folks at CORE Chiropractic to anyone seeking professional care. The office runs very efficiently. And you will definitely be helping yourself if you suffer from back issues.
Why is this good?
The first thing that makes this review good is the length. When customers take the time to really spell out their thoughts and feelings, it says a lot about your business. This can work whether the review is really good or really bad. They don’t have to go into their entire life story. But in this case, the review is really good and the length further shows that. The next thing is the first sentence. It shows that this customer visited this particular chiropractic office after reading other great reviews. That lets other potential customers know that this isn’t an isolated review and that others feel as positive about the business as this customer. Then the customer goes into specific detail about why the visit to the chiropractor was needed and how this doctor helped alleviate that issue.
Chiropractor Houston – 5 star
I have been having neck and back pain for years. I decided enough was enough. I went online and found Dr. Werner, I choose him because his office is on Richmond Ave. near my job. They are extremely knowledgeable. After about 2 months I feel like a new person. Thank you so much.
Why is this good?
Unlike the previous review, this one is much shorter but that doesn’t mean it’s less effective. It has elements that the other one doesn’t have that make it a good review even though it isn’t as long. The first thing is that it starts with a problem. When people are looking for a business, they’re often seeking to solve a particular problem. This one cuts right to the chase by leading with the problem that this customer needed solving. Then it shows the action that was taken which led this person to the chiropractor and why he was chosen. But once the customer got there, the experience was good enough for that person to see the doctor for at least two months consistently and get great results in the process.
If you notice, these two different reviews and how they will appeal to different people. The first review will work really great for those research intense people who want the details and specifics about why a business got a good review. The second review will work really great for those “cut to the point” researchers who don’t want to read a lot of words to find out if this is a business they want to use.
Five star reviews can that help improve your online reputation but they can serve two different types of customers which further expands their value.
Personal or word of mouth recommendations from family and friends have historically been the way people would research businesses like chiropractors, dentists, roofers and home improvement specialists. In a survey about trust in advertising, it was shown that word of mouth recommendations are still a very trusted source with 84% of respondents across 58 countries saying so.
But with more people researching businesses online, the word of mouth element has moved to the digital space in the form of customer reviews. In the BrightLocal Consumer Review Survey, it was found that 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. So the same level of trust that comes with personal word of mouth recommendations is being given to online reviews.
Essentially these online reviews act as customer referrals that live online. It makes them even more effective than other customer referrals which tend to involve a casual conversation and can result in one lead but not several leads or even hundreds of leads like an online review.
If you stop and think about the magnitude of value that online reviews can bring, it makes a lot of sense why a great review can really boost your business and why a bad review can affect your business negatively. Ultimately, it’s not about your review being online and the technology involved. It’s about the relationship that this review can facilitate.
Sometimes business owners can get caught up in the digital aspect of online reviews and not want to address them because they don’t have time to deal with “technology”. But if you stop and think about what the technology is doing for your business, you can get past the medium and focus on the benefit.
The Internet makes it possible for one customer to increase your customer base exponentially by saying something positive about your business and sharing it with the world. Before the internet, it wasn’t easy to share a piece of information with the world. You needed a huge budget and a lot of influence and that didn’t guarantee you would reach the world. Now you can do it with the click of a mouse.
So it’s not about the technology. It’s about the opportunity you have to build relationships. Remember, customer reviews are all about building one relationship, sharing it and having that relationship turn into many relationships.
How does your online reputation stack up? Check out our Reputation Checklist for a complete self evaluation of your online reputation.
Josh Reed
Best Selling author of “Complete Reputation Authority“
