Customer Reviews Are Crucial: Helpful Data
I recently ran across a post by Webmix Marketing that brought into focus some thoughts I’d been working through about customer reviews and the service industry. The article, “Maximizing Customer Reviews to Grow Your Business” pulls together some stunning statistics about the importance of online reviews to the consumer decision-making process.
The 4 October 2011 article can be seen in full at:
http://www.webmixmarketing.com/maximizing-customer-reviews-to-grow-your-business/
In the age of the internet we all need to be sensitive to this trend. Ignored, it can be damaging to our marketing efforts, but…if nurtured, customer reviews can be an extraordinary tool We need to pay attention!
From the Webmix Marketing article (highlights by me):
- “81% of people use consumer reviews in their purchase decisions.”
[Source: Nielsen Online via BizReport, February 2009]
- “90% of online consumers trust recommendations from people they know; 70% trust unknown users, 27% trust experts, 14% trust advertising, 8% trust celebrities.
[Source: Erik Qualman, Socialnomics, via Search Engine People, July 2010]”
- “92% have more confidence in information found online than they do in anything from a sales clerk or other source.”
[Source: Wall Street Journal, via Search Engine People, July 2010]
- “7 in 10 who read reviews share them with friends, family and colleagues thus amplifying their impact.”
[Source: Deloitte & Touche, via Search Engine People, July 2010]
- “51% of consumers use the Internet even before making a purchase in shops.”
[Source: Verdict Research, via Search Engine People, July 2010]
Note: These statistics are a year or two old and if polled today the numbers would probably be even higher.
So, how does the service company take advantage of this situation? Go online and get your company listed on relevant sites and start requesting reviews from your (satisfied) customers. Some sites to establish your presence:
Angie’s List: https://my.angieslist.com/
Google Places: http://www.google.com/places/
Yahoo Local: http://listings.local.yahoo.com
Bing Local: https://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx
Insiderpages: http://www.google.com/places/
CitySearch: http://www.citysearch.com
Yelp: www.yelp.com
Superpages.com: www.superpages.com
Take advantage of opportunities to request reviews from happy customers. Make it a part of your process and see how it can positively affect your marketing efforts.
John Whitney AIA is Senior Vice President for Business Development at Conductrus, a software as a service (SaaS) provider of workforce scheduling software tools for businesses with mobile field service management needs. He is also Founder and Principal at the Clean Energy Action Project, a cleantech research and renewable energy consulting enterprise.