Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Hopefully by now you know how important it is to not only have local reviews posted for your business, but to incorporate those reviews into your overall marketing and advertising plan.

According to WordStream, “79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, 85% of consumers say that they read online reviews for local businesses, and 73% of consumers say positive customer reviews make them trust a business more.”

It’s no wonder Google and Yelp is so important to a business’s online success. Unfortunately, many companies stop there.

Believe it or not, there are actually many different online platforms and avenues you can take to get reviews for your business that will still add value, so it’s important you direct your consumers to write those stellar reviews in more places than just the top two....

Online reviews aren’t just for consumer products and restaurants anymore. These days, reviews are impacting revenue for all kinds of businesses and professional services including real estate agents, loan officers, salons, boutiques, auto repair shops, doctors and everything in between.

So what’s the big deal? We’ve uncovered the data, and the data tells us one thing—the power of online reviews shouldn’t be underestimated. You need to know what people are saying about your business online because reviews can hurt or help your bottom line....

One challenge, which isn’t new, is the battle for consumer attention. If you’re looking to grow your user base, is there a best way to cost-effectively attract valuable users? I’m increasingly convinced the best way is by harnessing a concept called social proof, a relatively untapped gold mine in the age of the social web.

What is social proof? Put simply, it’s the positive influence created when someone finds out that others are doing something. It’s also known as informational social influence....