The digital age has comprehensively redefined the consumer journey. The 21st century consumer is looking for an experience when they visit a retailer or service provider website. Encouraging reviews on your website is an essential part of your marketing.
There is a lot to be said for giving the consumer a voice. People visiting your website or blog want to feel that they are appreciated. Asking their opinion on how you can improve, what they want to see at your site or shop, and just general comments on how you perform gives them the opportunity to feel they are wanted.
In the article that follows we are looking at a tool called Nicelocal and why your business needs it. Let’s begin by talking about how reviews affect your business.
Why Your Businesses Needs Customer Reviews
Reviews are the modern version of ‘word of mouth.’ In the pre-digital age one person would discover a new shop, product, or service, and pass it on orally. Today, this is done via online reviews and social media.
Along with social media ‘likes’ and ‘shares,’ the review section on your website will gauge how your business is performing. Yet, there is a problem: how does a visitor know that reviews are genuine?
This is a something that has been evident from the early days of online marketing. It has been known for unscrupulous businesses to ‘buy’ four and five-star reviews. This is bad practice, and the canny consumer will soon see through it.
Customers who appreciate your service or product are more likely to leave a positive review than every before. It’s an interaction, and the consumer likes interaction. However, they are perhaps more likely to leave a poor review should they have experienced unsatisfactory service.
The there is the aspect of ‘social trust.’ What is social trust, and why is it vital to your business growth?
Building Social Trust
Social media in all its forms is an essential part of your business marketing. You simply must have a footprint in the major social media platforms. We’re talking about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many other social media platforms where your target audience ‘hang out.’
Social trust is a part of the ‘word of mouth’ element we talked about earlier. Where it gains strength is in encouraging influencers and other persons who consumers look up to, to endorse your product. The more this happens, the more the everyday consumer will build trust in your product or service.
This is not easy to do, so we suggest you link to blogs and other media that corresponds with your market area, or the complements your product. If you sell baby clothes, for example, link to baby food sites, ‘mummy blogs,’ and similar complementary media.
Now, back to what we were saying about reviews. The crucial factor here is that businesses should always reply to a poor review. Yet, what about those reviews that are clearly fake, or are not quite truthful? An angry customer is one who may exaggerate or leave out important parts of the story.
This is one area in which Nicelocal helps businesses keep their reviews honest and up front.
Nicelocal Allows You to Challenge Poor Reviews
The Nicelocal reviews tool allows the business to challenge a poor review. Negative reviews will damage the reputation of the business. One poor review among ten good ones will stand out.
Let’s say a Nicelocal user gets a negative review that tells only one side of the story. Maybe they were asked to leave the premises because of unsociable behaviour. In instances such as this, the likelihood of them leaving a blatantly false or biased review is strong.
With Nicelocal, the business can use the tool to challenge the review. Nicelocal asks for a substantiated report explaining why the review should be removed. The team will then investigate both the business’s claims, and those of the reviewer.
Only when Nicelocal is fully satisfied that the review is false or biased will the review be removed. The advantage of this is that visitors to the website can be assured that reviews are genuine, and negative influences can be deleted.
Try Nicelocal Now and You’ll be Impressed.
The above is just one example of the features and benefits that Nicelocal brings to your business. We cannot stress how important local searches are for your growing company. Local searches will only become more relevant in time, as people are looking for services and products close to their location.
Nicelocal is a cleverly designed tool and one that offers an excellent integrated map feature, yet there is much more to it than reviews, so please check out Nicelocal.ca now for more information on this sensibly priced and highly productive tool can do for your business and its future growth.