Traditionally, word-of-mouth referrals may have been the primary source of attracting new clients to your small business. But it should come as no surprise that consumers are also looking to social media such as Facebook and Google reviews to find out what your existing customers are saying.

How accurate is this information?

According to Inc. Magazine, 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

It doesn’t take much more than a few seconds to find online business reviews. Try it with your own business! How long did it take you to find some reviews? How many reviews do you currently have? And if you have none, how likely would you be to purchase from your own business with no reassurance of the quality of your services or products?

Asking your clients for an online review might be more valuable than you think!

The Categories Of Online Reviews

Reviews can be separated into three different categories: the positive reviews, the negative reviews, and no reviews.

Our team at One Firefly recently conducted a survey to our own clients and we found that 71% of them believe that positive online reviews would make a significant impact to their business. They are definitely right! The truth is that small business owners work extremely hard to make sure that every customer gets a great experience because we know that every customer counts. Research shows that positive reviews can transform a consumer from considering your company to purchasing your products and services.

No one wants their business to have negative reviews. But as many of us can agree, sometimes its easier to leave a negative review rather than a positive one. Why? Simply, because as consumers we have the tendency of expressing our discontent when we have a bad experience but not our joy when we have a phenomenal experience. No need to lose hope, though! We can always try to fix our mistakes. Here are a few tips on how we can get a one-star review to a five-star review: respond sympathetically to the consumer, fix the problem, and request a do-over.

What about the dearth of reviews? This can actually reduce your business earnings more than negative reviews can. In most cases, when local businesses don’t have any online reviews it just means that they are not asking for any. Make sure to ask your happy customers for a review and always consider your timing! It’s crucial to ask for a review when the customer is most pleased with your service.

How One Firefly Can Help Your Business With Online Reviews

For quite some time, our team has been observing the impact of online reviews. We decided that it was of primary importance to actively find a solution to ensure our clients have a strong position in five-star ratings. This is why we created, Review Champ. This service allows the business owner to take control of driving their positive online reviews. Receiving positive reviews just got easier and the power of increasing your revenues is in your hands.

Interested in knowing more about how Review Champ can be a game changer for your local business? Feel free to reach out to our team, we are always more than happy to answer your questions.