In the word-of-mouth marketing era, online reviews can make a big difference to any business. According to the Growing Power of Reviews study, 97% of consumers read reviews about products or services before making a purchase decision. Currently, online reviews carry as much credibility as a personal recommendation.
The WWW offers a lot of ways to post reviews, Yelp.com, Facebook.com, PissedConsumer.com, where users can leave feedback which then may turn into an effective marketing strategy. Negative reviews are inevitable since it’s really impossible to meet the expectations of every single customer.
However, bad reviews don’t mean your business is going under. There is a positive side to negative reviews. Let’s consider five common reasons you can benefit from getting the occasional one or two-star rating.
Reason No 1. Negative Reviews Help Build Brand Confidence
Products with perfect scores seem too good to be true. Shoppers may come to the conclusion that a brand has something to hide. When it comes to business credibility, online censorship can lead to a backlash.
Moreover, negative consumer reviews are not necessarily bad. They often demonstrate how businesses interact with consumers if any disputes arise. As evidenced by major review sites like Google or Pissed Consumer, a lot of brands endeavor to address challenges adequately aimed to build trust with consumers.
Reason No 2. Negative Reviews Boost Sales
Believe it or not, a regular consumer is more likely to purchase a product if it has negative reviews. They just provide a more realistic look to the business i.e., brands with both good and bad customer feedback look more authentic and transparent.
As per Baymard’s research, 53% of shoppers seek out bad online reviews in the first place in order to find out what other people were dissatisfied with. That will help them to make informed buying decisions ending up in successful purchases, fewer complaints, and no refund requests.
Reason No 3. Negative Reviews Throw Light on Fixable Problems
Constructive feedback can be a gold mine for a business. Bad reviews often contain information on serious issues related to products and services. They help you to understand what’s wrong as well as what should be done for improvement. You can convert negative reviews into a positive customer experience.
Bad reviews may also provide actionable insights you need to satisfy customers’ expectations. That could be of importance for the growth of your business.
Reason No 4. Negative Reviews Build Brand Awareness
Customers can create buzz about a product. It’s extremely useful for startups. As posts about their products or services appear on the Web, brand awareness and engagement rates gradually increase. Shoppers often look for negative reviews to find out new brands they have never heard about.
Bad reviews help with SEO. They often contain keywords being relevant to the brand. Businesses that delete negative reviews miss out on potential traffic to the products.
Reason No 5. Negative Reviews Increase Customer Engagement
There are two ways on how to deal with bad reviews:
- to delete;
- to respond.
The first one can cause mistrust towards the quality of your products or services. The second one provides opportunities to engage customers. Businesses that are responsive to customer complaints may turn dissatisfied consumers into loyal advocates.
Shoppers who leave feedback about their bad experience need a solution or just an apology. To win the trust of consumers, it is very important to handle negative reviews promptly and publicly to show off how your company addresses challenges.
Certainly, negative feedback is never the end goal. But there is nothing for businesses to fear from negative reviews if using them effectively to impact brands in positive ways. They could surely be a powerful marketing tool driving numerous business benefits.
