In today’s competitive digital age, consumers have a wide array of options available at their fingertips. Therefore, it is getting really hard for the rising businesses to stand out and improve their customer base. One of the elements that can offer some competitive edge is the customer reviews and testimonials. The reviews are feedback generated by real users and it has the ability to influence the decision-making of the customers or online users while building more trust among them. Testimonials can also help to boost sales and popularity of the business website.
With the rise of e-commerce and online shopping in every industry, testimonials and reviews have become more crucial as they help to establish credibility and social proof in the market. If you are an owner of an emerging business as well, perhaps it is time to understand the paramount importance of reviews and feedback.
What is Social Proof?
Social Proof is a theory that says if a person or a user does not know the right behavior in a situation, they are more likely to look to others as a guide for the action. It is a human tendency where they rely on others’ opinions to take their own actions. In short, an individual is more likely to do what the mass does. It is quite similar in the case of digital marketing where users can guide consumers to purchase certain products and services. Feedback and testimonials provide evidence that other consumers have also used and enjoyed the same products and services. It is also referred to as informational social influence, an art of leveraging previous customers’ experiences to gain new ones. It validates the choices of the customers and helps them proceed with their purchasing motives.
Benefits of Customer Reviews and Testimonials
According to a recent survey, 88% of the total consumers check and trust online reviews for personal recommendations. Similarly, around 92% of consumers make sure to read online reviews before interacting or purchasing on a business website. The research also showed that positive reviews can greatly enhance the conversion rate on the website where visitors can quickly become loyal customers. The survey also shows that displaying reviews can help to increase the conversion rate by up to 270% which is huge progress for any emerging business. Another research conducted by the Harvard Business School shows that even a one-star increase in the ratings can help to witness 5% - 9% growth in revenue.
However, every business should be careful about negative reviews as the study suggests that even a single negative comment can make a business lose 22% of potential customers. The statistical data suggests that reviews and feedback come with a handful of benefits and it is time to explore a few of them.
1. Offering Social Proof for New Clients
It is not unknown that the market for online shopping and e-commerce is continuously rising and customers have become more dependable on the reviews and feedback offered by other customers. As mentioned before, it works like a social proof and validates the customers which allows them to proceed with their purchasing decision without being worried. When the former clients share their thoughts on the products and services, it gives insight to the new and interested customers who are willing to buy. The business must be transparent with its customers to offer honest opinions offered by previous clients. This also helps other users to figure out the effectiveness and relevance of the purchase and how it can help.
2. Enhances SEO for Business
Search Engine Optimization is one of the top needs of business websites these days as everyone wants to stay on the top of the search engine result pages. SEO helps to rank better and testimonials can help to improve SEO for your business. The ratings and reviews for your business usually appear with the metadata offered in Google Search Results. It helps to gain more visibility for the business and can be republished online if needed. If your business website receives more starts and reviews on third-party platforms like Google, Glassdoor, Amazon, Yelp, etc; it can greatly improve your business’s presence, popularity, and credibility.
3. Improved Brand Awareness and Reputation in the Market
Start-ups and small-scale businesses always struggle to gain ample organic exposure. While there are many other platforms, some of them are also well-revered which makes it even more difficult to penetrate the market. Instead of boasting about your own attributes, you can leverage testimonials where other clients boast about your business, services, and products. It can help to improve brand awareness and perception which makes your brand more visible and trustworthy to everyone. This way, online users will be more comfortable to interact with your company and create long-term relationships.
4. Effective Strategy for Digital Marketing
As mentioned before, testimonials and reviews can be shared and reproduced anywhere you want. So, it can easily be a part of the digital marketing strategy for your business including social media marketing, email marketing as well as paid advertisements. It can encourage the users and make them interact with your business even more after other customers have vouched for it. It can also be a part of reputation management which helps to business stand strong even in a tricky situation.
Bottom Line
Evidently, reviews and testimonials can be utilized as powerful tools for digital marketing. So make sure to encourage the customers to leave reviews and ask them for their precious feedback which only integrates success and a good reputation for the business.
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