We all know customer reviews matter. I've shared survey results with you before reflecting how reviews, even from complete strangers, impact consumer purchase decisions. But why do they matter so much? Mitch Joel, Six Pixels of Separation blog, shared six reasons why customer reviews matter more than we think:
1. Reviews force us to pay attention. A few years ago, a few unhappy customers weren't going to damage your brand or lose you much business. But things change. Now, we have to pay attention when customers are unhappy. We have to listen to customer feedback, and take complaints seriously. Mitch suggests using simple listening tools like Google Alerts to see what people are saying about you.
2. We can't control them. The new age of the internet and social media scares a lot of people, marketers and execs are at the top of the list, because they no longer control what's being said. Now, as Mitch points out, even if you don't allow customer reviews on your website, there's plenty of other places for people to talk about you: Google, Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. It's okay that we don't control the message. If we did, reviews wouldn't be trusted. And as much panic that's instills when there are bad reviews out there, good reviews still have more benefits.
3. They force us to improve. No longer can products be sub-par. If they are, everyone is going to know about it, then there will be no product at all.
4. They keep us honest. It's not just a matter that everyone is going to know your product is a sub-par product, it's that their opinion is being archived. Once published on the internet, it will always be findable and people can easily share them. If you lie, people will be able to find proof that you lied.
5. They're a free "focus group". According to Mitch, over 80% of the 1.5 billion people online seek out customer and product reviews before making purchasing decisions. That's a huge number of people. The internet isn't just a place for people to share their comments about your offerings with each other, it's a place where you can also listen. Listen to what people have to say about your products, your organization, your competitors, your industry, other industries... Sure the lack of control can be scary, but the tools you have to listen and understand what's going on is very, very cool.
6. They force innovation. This may be the most obvious of Mitch's 6 points. When a customer is unhappy, they're going to tell you what you could do to make them happy, how you can improve and what you're missing. Instead of having to hire consultants to get an outside look at what your organization is doing, you just need to turn to consumer reviews and what your customers are saying. From there, you can put your thinking caps on and figure out how you can improve processes to give them what they want.
1. Reviews force us to pay attention. A few years ago, a few unhappy customers weren't going to damage your brand or lose you much business. But things change. Now, we have to pay attention when customers are unhappy. We have to listen to customer feedback, and take complaints seriously. Mitch suggests using simple listening tools like Google Alerts to see what people are saying about you.
2. We can't control them. The new age of the internet and social media scares a lot of people, marketers and execs are at the top of the list, because they no longer control what's being said. Now, as Mitch points out, even if you don't allow customer reviews on your website, there's plenty of other places for people to talk about you: Google, Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. It's okay that we don't control the message. If we did, reviews wouldn't be trusted. And as much panic that's instills when there are bad reviews out there, good reviews still have more benefits.
3. They force us to improve. No longer can products be sub-par. If they are, everyone is going to know about it, then there will be no product at all.
4. They keep us honest. It's not just a matter that everyone is going to know your product is a sub-par product, it's that their opinion is being archived. Once published on the internet, it will always be findable and people can easily share them. If you lie, people will be able to find proof that you lied.
5. They're a free "focus group". According to Mitch, over 80% of the 1.5 billion people online seek out customer and product reviews before making purchasing decisions. That's a huge number of people. The internet isn't just a place for people to share their comments about your offerings with each other, it's a place where you can also listen. Listen to what people have to say about your products, your organization, your competitors, your industry, other industries... Sure the lack of control can be scary, but the tools you have to listen and understand what's going on is very, very cool.
6. They force innovation. This may be the most obvious of Mitch's 6 points. When a customer is unhappy, they're going to tell you what you could do to make them happy, how you can improve and what you're missing. Instead of having to hire consultants to get an outside look at what your organization is doing, you just need to turn to consumer reviews and what your customers are saying. From there, you can put your thinking caps on and figure out how you can improve processes to give them what they want.
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