For today's consumer, an authentic review needs to offer tangibility. They want to feel the kind of connection that can only be achieved by appealing to the senses – so, at the very least, text reviews need to be accompanied by images. But for true authenticity, video is king.
By encouraging video reviews, you pull in unique user-generated content that speaks to your audience on a whole new level. And they’re authentic in every sense of the word – they’re highly believable, engaging and, most importantly, they prompt that all-important emotional response.
But, they’re not just beneficial to the consumer. They’re also a highly valuable tool for overall business growth.
From understanding customer needs to building buyer trust – authentic reviews can do a lot for your bottom line.
One of the major benefits of authentic reviews is that they take the guesswork out of understanding how customers perceive your business. Genuine feedback will tell you what you’re doing right, where you’re falling down, and how to improve your offering based on the opinions of those that matter most.
Authentic feedback has a host of SEO benefits that help place your website above your competitors and reach more potential buyers. Genuine reviews often throw up highly relevant keywords, and unique content like video reviews, which can significantly increase your CTR. In addition, verified reviews collected through a Google Licensed Partner like us contribute to your seller ratings. Authentic content should form a major part of any SEO strategy, and reviews are no exception.
Customers trust each other more than they trust you. You need to work hard to build consumer confidence in your brand, and one of the best ways to do this is by showcasing past customer satisfaction. Written reviews go a long way here, but more so original, visual content like photo and video reviews. After all, seeing is believing.
A truly authentic review campaign does not focus purely on the positive – it also addresses the negative. Negative reviews can be highly beneficial to your business. By avoiding an emotional response and instead focusing on a proactive resolution, you show potential buyers that you’re dedicated to exemplary customer service.
Customers look to reviews to inform their purchase decisions. And since they do so on a regular basis, they’re pretty switched on as to what’s trustworthy and what’s not.If you’re still questioning whether or not you really need to bother with authentic reviews, you should know how potential buyers assess their validity. They may well start doubting you if:
The chances of 100% of your customers being 100% satisfied are few and far between. Consumers know this, so if all of your reviews are 5* rated, they’ll start to question their reliability.
Authentic feedback has an identifiable tone. Reviews that read like a sales pitch or provide over the top detail are typically seen as untrustworthy.
Not all authentic reviews will reference a specific product or service, but most will. If your own reviews are vague and lacking detail, it’s a sure fire giveaway that they’re not based on actual experience.
Verification with REVIEWS.io means that a review has been tied to an actual purchase and comes complete with badge by way of proof. If your reviews are missing this valuable trust signal, customers have no way to judge their true authenticity.
Customers are looking for a consistent reputation across the board – on your website, social platforms, review collection pages and, of course, on search engine results. If you’re not paying attention to 3rd party solutions and actively encouraging reviews that not only span various platforms, but also contribute to your Google Seller Rating, consumers may not get that all important sense of trust.
If you’re waving any of these review red flags, you could well be pushing potential buyers towards your competition. So, don’t fake it.
The first step in ensuring authenticity is to work with a Google Licensed Partner like REVIEWS.io, which is the only way to contribute to Google Seller Ratings . This partnership means we’re obliged to ensure all feedback is genuine and relates to an actual purchase of a product or service. We also offer 3rd party review collection, so you can build your reputation everywhere you have an online presence.
At REVIEWS.io, we’re passionate about what we do, and leading by example with truly authentic content of our own. The latest contribution was made by sales team member, Ciaran Campbell, who nicely sums up the power of authentic reviews in his very own song:
For true authenticity, you should be looking to collect a variety of reviews types. This is where the unique approach to review collection comes into play.
Try and find a good balance between written reviews rich in detail, photo reviews that bring products to life, and video reviews that allow consumers to share their opinion, their experience or both. The latter is very much the most authentic approach to review collection. Not only is there no doubting the validity of the feedback, but you can also guarantee that each and every video review will be original in its makeup.
At REVIEWS.io, we’re constantly looking for new and innovative ways to both collect and publish genuine, verified feedback. In short, we’re here to help you achieve authenticity in every sense of the word.
