The viral nature of the Internet, together with the growing distrust of paid media and traditional advertising has led to customer reviews or earned media becoming one of the most powerful influences of the consumer’s purchase decision.

The premise is simple, if someone you trust recommends something, you’ll probably try it, if 5 people you know recommend it, you are even more likely to try it. But if 50 or more tell you to try it, you will most likely go for it.

A recent study found that customer testimonials have the highest effectiveness rating in content marketing at 89%. Consumers don’t trust what a business says; they trust what your customers say.

The 3 most influential customer testimonials come from family and friends, then social media connections, and thirdly from online reviews published by total strangers.

Clearly online reviews are serious business.

Happy customers are a company’s best asset, yet most companies ignore, or even fear customer reviews.

Jupiter Research found that 77% of people take the time to read product / service reviews before they made a purchase. 90% of consumers admit that their buying decisions are actually influenced by online reviews.

And, 58% more people are likely to share their customer experiences than 5 years ago.

5 Steps to harnessing the power of online reviews

So how do you get the most of online reviews?

TAKE CONTROL

Invite your customers to post their reviews about your services on a neutral platform. Rather than leave them to their own devices on public review sites like Yelp, Angie’s List etc, give them clear instructions on how to leave reviews on your designated private review website. This allows you to build up an arsenal of reviews quickly.

KEEP THEM REVIEWS COMING IN

Search engines like fresh and renewable content so each time you get a new review, your page gains a little more weight. You are creating renewable, original content about your business with each published review and this is Search Engine Optimization gold.

LET YOUR CUSTOMERS DO THE TALKING FOR YOU

Reviews are the best way to build customer trust. When you say it, it’s bragging, but when your customers say it, it’s social proof. When potential customers read your positive reviews, they become familiar with the quality of your service and are more ready to commit when they get to you.

DON’T SWEAT THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS

Even the best and most well run companies will have unhappy customers. What happens when they start ranting? A few negative reviews will actually lead people to place more trust in the positive reviews. People expect to see a mix of good and bad and are suspicious if they don’t. One negative review on it’s own can be damaging, however, one negative review amongst many other positive ones won’t have much impact at all. Building an arsenal of positive reviews is the best way to neutralize any effects from less than stellar feedback.

RESPOND TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

Responding to reviews is a great way to learn from and build goodwill with your customers. On their own, positive reviews are already hugely powerful but when you get involved in the online conversation, you can really shake things up for the better. Negative ones on the other hand can be damaging, hence it is essential to respond to bad reviews promptly and appropriately. Listen to the message, and try to ignore the tone in which it was communicated. A thoughtful and timely response consistent with the company’s values goes a long way.

Online reviews and the Relocations industry

Customer reviews are becoming increasingly important in 2015 and beyond. Traditional forms of sales and marketing are losing out to user-generated content, especially customer reviews.

The more reviews you have online, the more likely your customer’s voice will come through and the more credibility you will have.

What does this mean for the moving and relocations industry? Will we be spared?

With the changing face of the consumer, it’s really a matter of time before online reviews become commonplace. We are starting to see the millennial consumer (the largest age group) relocating within the global marketplace.

Recent studies have shown that Millennial use and trust user-generated content such as online reviews and are likely to do so at a greater rate than their elder counterparts.

They engage more extensively with brands and companies through social media and mobile devices.

So, we know that Millennials buy differently; but are you selling to them differently? How do you engage them and put your company right where they’re looking? Are you getting your reviews out there?

You can start creating conversations over content and source influence from your happy customers.

Start building up your arsenal of reviews immediately; invite your customers to review your services on MoveAide.com. Designed especially for the moving and relocations industry, MoveAide will help you collect, showcase and manage your customer feedback.

We think it’s time you harness the power of online reviews and let your customers do the talking for you. Do you?

To find out more about how you can use Word-of-Mouth Marketing to win more customers, reach out to us at info@moveaide.com