Whether your business is brand new or has been around for years, customer reviews are key to business growth, so pay attention!
Google offers up endless stats on the importance of customer reviews—
- 91% of consumers are actively reading online business reviews.
- 70% of customers consider customer reviews before making a purchase.
- 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendations.
These stats tell us what we already know: When it comes time to make a purchase, we’re all reaching for the closest internet browsing device — and our attention is drawn to those lil yellow stars.
We look at reviews for comfort and confirmation. We look for answers and solutions.
To be honest, we’re looking for someone who sounds just like us — someone who will make us feel sure that this purchase is a great choice!
As a business owner, here’s what you need to know:
Understand what homeowners expect!
If you’re wanting to get reviews, you need to know what the benchmarks are. Shawn Van Dyke explains it well in this TikTok what a “good contractor” is in the eyes of a homeowner.
More Is Better!
There’s no such thing as too many reviews. Check to be sure that your business information is up to date on Google, Facebook, Yelp, Houzz, Angi, etc., etc., etc.
When your profiles are active and have fresh photos or updates, customers are more likely to interact with your business online — translation, more customer reviews for you!
Don’t Worry, Bad Is Good Too!
It seems backward, but even a negative review is a good review. Customers are suspicious when everything is a perfect “5 Stars”.
Nothing is perfect. Your potential clients know this, so don’t stress over negative reviews. Ultimately the ratio is what matters, and when positive reviews are the majority, customers will look to you as a great option!
Respond, Respond, Respond!
Whenever you publicly respond to a customer review, you’re letting a new potential client know you’re interested and attentive! Keep it genuine and brief. When replying to a negative review, ask a question, keep it short, and don’t get defensive or censor your reviewers.
And Get Ready For Great Content…
Customer reviews are a free resource for your sales and marketing! Take a look at your customers’ words, and you’ll likely find fresh phrasing, valuable keywords, and content for your website, print pieces, newsletter, email subject lines, billboard, and any other marketing platform.
You don’t need Google or anyone else to tell you that customer reviews are important. We’re all reading, posting, and sharing the reviews — so, yeah, we know!
As a business owner, don’t forget to encourage reviews, respond when you can, and don’t waste good content!
