By Lauren Plewacki, Account Coordinator
In his book Winning the Zero Moment of Truth, Google’s Managing Director of U.S. Sales Jim Lecinski discusses the importance of online consumer reviews. Why are they so important? Because people trust each other.
The time has come to embrace customer reviews. Whether you use them or not, many consumers refer to them when trying to make purchasing decisions. Why do consumers go online for reviews? They’re looking for opinions of people like themselves. They see reviews as unbiased and feel like they can learn about a product or service without being pushed, manipulated or simply sold on something.
Most people would be surprised to learn that the vast majority of online reviews are positive. In fact, according to Google, 80% are. And there’s no shortage of them. As more users have posted reviews, Google has seen a heavy increase in search terms including the words “ratings” and “reviews.” It’s human nature; we like to share our positive experiences with others.
If you do come across a negative review of your business, relax! It’s not the end of the world. Smart marketers can take a negative review and turn it into something positive. First and foremost, you’re getting free, unsolicited and honest feedback from actual customers—something your focus group can’t give you. Plus, you have the ability to respond to negative reviews and show customers that you care, and if applicable, tell them how you’re going to fix any problems. Finally, accepting the occasional negative review makes a brand seem more genuine. Nobody’s perfect.
The bottom line about reviews is this: they help businesses learn what their customers need from them. Who knows, your next great product idea might come from an unhappy customer.
Source: Winning the Zero Moment of Truth by Jim Lecinski available at http://www.zeromomentoftruth.com
