Word-of-mouth reviews can be the best thing since sliced bread if you own a small business. In addition, word-of-mouth reviews are more important than ever in our online-positioned society. Online reviews are accessible for everything from doctors to dog walkers. According to a study nearly 9 in 10 consumers read online reviews of local businesses and 72% of consumers say that they use positive reviews to determine whether a business is trustworthy.
Cutting Through The Noise
Customer word-of-mouth reviews cut through the noise of ‘just another Like or share’ through directly discussing (as well as displaying) the pros/cons of a specific product.
A Like or – alternatively – a share on Facebook is only valuable to companies if this user-generated action actually leads to some sort of real interaction with the brand, whether it’s a website visit or, even better yet, a clear request for additional information.
Here comes the power of user generated content (UGC) in the form of customer reviews. Customer reviews, once shared with particular peers or social contacts, actually offer direct information regarding the product, encouraging (or discouraging) friends as well as family in order to dive more into the company.
This is in sharp contrast to merely requesting or encouraging a friend to like a specific brand or product. This is as there is little or no connection between the referral as well as the actual customer experience. While WOM generates hype, its relevance is substantiated by the power of customer reviews.
Incredible Service, Incredible Staff: Give People a Reason to Rave About You
Word-of-mouth reviews are most successful with brands that are working really hard to do right with their customers. This means that a great offering partnered with excellent customer service. Obviously your product needs to be strong, however it’s just as important that the staff interacting with customers and clients is top-notch. Truth be told, it’s the positive human interactions most people get excited about. Consumers often encounter so much lousy customer service that in contrast, great service is a minor miracle for most.
