Why are online reviews so important for businesses today?
In the world of yesterday, reviews were known as “word of mouth”. They were recommendations people would pass from person to person. These recommendations would let close friends and family know what was good and what was bad, where to go, and what to avoid.
Today, “word of mouth” reaches a greater circle of people through the internet. People write reviews and post them online. Reviews show up telling a greater audience the same things, where to go and what to avoid. Because of the enormity of the internet and its influence on our daily lives, it’s important for businesses to always be on their guard and look their best at all times. Today, 85% of people go online to get information to help them determine who and where they are going to take their patronage. What business looks best? What restaurant has great things being said about them? What service company really provides great customer service while getting the job done better, faster, and is the most affordable?
Researchers find this information through online customer reviews. They go to search engines like Google (ranked #1), Yahoo (ranked #3), and Amazon (ranked #5). They spend time on Facebook and Youtube getting entertained while taking a break from their research. The average person spends approximately 4-6 hours a day in front of their computer between work and media absorption. 73% of people use Google on a daily basis. They use Google to find businesses like Dry Cleaners, Restaurants, Service Professionals like plumbers, electricians, HVAC repair, and many others. It’s faster and more versatile than the phone book. In 2010 the US Advertising Market spent over $26,000,000,000 Billion Dollars the internet Advertising. It fell just under TV Distribution by only 2.6 Billion Dollars. It is expected that advertising on the internet will pass TV advertising by 2012 if not sooner.
Today, People are going onto the Internet for it’s ability to feed their ever growing need for information in the fastest way possible. The Fastest, the easiest, the most direct information is what they want. They get it from the internet. If your kids are awake, they are probably online. 8 year olds to 18 year olds spend more time online and using social media than any other activity in their lives including sleep. These are the consumer’s of tomorrow and they are being trained today to use the computer to gather their information for decision making. As a business owner, are you ready for the world of tomorrow?