Why do people value Facebook reviews so much?

There are 7.6 billion people globally (56.72 million of these are in South Africa) and 53% of these individuals are active users of social media. Out of the 4.021 billion social media users, approximately 55% are on Facebook. To make the statement that the entire world is on Facebook is not too much of an overstretch.

Facebook is the largest global social media platform

The social giant has 2.2 billion active users monthly. Advertising revenue rans in the region of US$39.9 billion (that’s a staggering R597 billion – give or take a couple of hundred thousand rands) in 2017 alone. The social media platform has had its foot on the accelerator ever since Mark Zuckerberg created the site out of his res at Harvard. What was firstly an online directory of students in 2004 has now become the go-to source for almost everything — connections, entertainment, news and even purchasing decisions.

What are Facebook Reviews, exactly?

According to Facebook themselves, star ratings provide more people encouragement to rate a business. These ratings appear in the business’ newsfeed and assists readers with discovering new businesses while, at the same time, businesses create increased brand awareness.

Star ratings are merged into a business’s Facebook EdgeRank. In the same way as Google has its own 200 ranking factors, Facebook’s algorithm determines where your posts will land in your followers’ newsfeeds – if they are featured at all.

EdgeRank is calculated by using the following factors: affinity, weight” as well as time decay:

• ‘Affinity’ is responsible for measuring the interaction between a Facebook user and a brand, and
• ‘Weight’ is the significance of that action.

Star ratings fall into both of the above-mentioned categories. Simply put, overall organic reach as well as brand visibility are directly impacted by EdgeRank, which is influenced in part by star ratings

Why Facebook Reviews matter in your social media marketing

There are a number of reasons why Facebook reviews matter for your social media marketing. Here are some of them.

People look to social media for recommendations

In the third quarter of 2017, globally 52% of Internet users – aged between 25 and 34 – post reviews online. Around 47% of people between 16 and 24 have also posted a review of a product or business online. Forty-five percent of 35- to 44-year-old Internet users have published their feedback as well. In a survey in April 2017, 28% of respondents said they check social media sites for online reviews.

As most feedback takes place on the Internet, together with the outrageous number of people searching for, and considering, online reviews, it is critical that a business’s Facebook page acts as a support for its positive reputation. If consumers post positive reviews or negative feedback, the business should be in the position to resolve issues at once. Responding to all Facebook reviews demonstrates that the business cares for its consumers.

Facebook is the foremost social media platform

Facebook has the largest following of all social media platforms. YouTube comes in second and Instagram is seventh. Facebook’s global penetration makes it the leading platform globally and the go-to social media source for product information as well as reviews.

Facebook assisting with building a positive brand presence

Online reviews are one of the most significant influencers of online purchases. In a survey that was conducted in 2017, 68% of respondents said that reviews which are trustworthy influence their shopping decisions. Social media recommendations account for 23% of online purchases. These figures show that online reviews have the ability to influence the way in which a user perceives a brand — whether it’s reliable or, alternatively, untrustworthy.

Furthermore, in a survey which was conducted in October 2017, 84% of the respondents verified that they trust online customer reviews in the same manner as they would trust personal recommendations. In addition, businesses which respond to online reviews quickly acquire positive reputations.

So, whether it’s assisting purchasers with their buying decisions – or making consumers feel appreciated – Facebook reviews do matter and businesses should highlight them.

The world of social media marketing is exciting and opens up a whole new market for businesses. This means that it’s vital to know how to use social media networks to the advantage of your company. Social media marketing is a specialised field and, as such, requires the social media marketer to have expert knowledge about this subject. This means that it’s vital for them to have done a social media marketing course such as the one we offer.

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