The importance of reviews is nothing new. There’s plenty of statistics across the internet that prove how much sway they hold. What is new is the dramatic shift in buying habits - a consequence of the ongoing pandemic and a trend that puts a younger, more savvy, more demanding demographic at the centre of the consumer landscape.
To understand just how valuable reviews and UGC are to a business, we first need to understand what that consumer landscape now looks like.
When we started growing our business I knew from day one that to give the business integrity, reviews were essential. People need that confidence. As soon as we started getting user generated content - pictures, videos, things like that - we definitely saw a sharp increase in sales.
Tom Jeffery, Managing Director
Wave Spa's
When you take into account the increase in online sales, the changing demographics and their increased brand expectations, it’s clear reviews and UGC are now more valuable assets than ever before.
For another supporting statistic, 90% of consumers trust in UGC, using it as a brand quality indicator to influence their purchase decisions. That shows just how important it is, but why is it so powerful?
When we talk about UGC, we mean anything created by the user - text, imagery and, increasingly, video.
Video content is driving UGC for brands, with reviews that create an emotional response and are tangible for the viewer. This kind of content shows more than customer satisfaction. It shows an experience. Engagement with a purchase that gives potential buyers an insight as to how a product could fit into their lives.
And what’s more, it’s incredibly easy to share across the very platforms the most profitable demographic uses everyday, like Instagram.
Savvy brands are taking advantage of this. Boomf went from novelty gift to shock value cards, using video reviews to share customer experiences through authentic content.
The best part about it is that something so powerful is so easy to come by. It’s as simple as including a video upload option in review requests.
One last statistic - people trust online reviews around 78% as much as they trust personal recommendations from friends and family. That makes them a must have, regardless of whether you sell products or provide services.
And review management doesn’t have to be taxing. REVIEWS.io helps you reach a wider audience, promote trust and increase sales by using 3rd party reviews to improve your online reputation, all with one single solution.
Simply collecting reviews though isn’t enough. They need to be shared and celebrated, turning authentic reviews into branded social content to increase brand recognition. That’s simple to do with our new social proof editor. This feature grew out of a suggestion from our client Coombe Farm, who wanted improved editing functionality to easily share dynamic, branded review content across all their marketing platforms.
Here is a good example of how a brand positively responds to positive reviews to provide good customer service through attentive communication.
Then there’s the way you deal with feedback. How you respond to positive and negative reviews is vital in building a strong reputation and consumer loyalty. Ultimately, a good review strategy covers all bases - collection, publication and interaction.
Here is a good example of how a brand positively responds to a negative review giving the customer reassurance that the brand can be trusted by giving them the support they need.
The new generation of online shoppers are willing to spend more with brands they trust, and that provide them with an authentic experience. That means any business looking to stay relevant needs to be offering social proof through feedback and engaging content created by its customer base. Sign up with REVIEWS.io to start collecting reviews and build a library of UGC that helps boost your bottom line.
