SMG Blog

How Can Ratings + Reviews be Leveraged to Increase Revenue and Prove ROI?

Published on Jan 15, 2020

<span id="hs_cos_wrapper_name" class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_text" style="" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="text" >How Can Ratings + Reviews be Leveraged to Increase Revenue and Prove ROI?</span>

In today’s digital world, one of the most impactful ways to boost business outcomes and quantify ROI is through an effective and efficient online reputation management solution. The financial impact ratings + reviews has on a brand is staggering—with 97% of consumers stating reviews influence their buying decisions.

The right ratings + reviews management solution can drive business outcomes in 3 key ways:

1. Increase Search Visibility

When it comes to the Google game, you have to play to win. 93% of searchers never go past the first page, instead using only the first 10 search results to form their impression. And what gets you on that first page? Engagement. When Google sees you’re responding to customers, they’ll reward you with a nudge to the top—which leads to more clicks, higher traffic, and ultimately, increased purchase rates.

After the first 12 months of tracking and responding to customer reviews, brands that implement and engage with a comprehensive online reputation management system typically see increased search engine placement and greater mobile engagement. Other improved metrics include:

By increasing these metrics, brands can demonstrate the customer experience directly corresponds with real business results.

2. Build Customer Trust + Loyalt

41% of consumers say when brands reply to reviews, it shows the company really cares about their customers. Why is that so important? Because if consumers don’t trust you, they won’t buy from you.

Trust is becoming an important aspect of driving consumer loyalty—and it’s not always an easy thing to get. When consumers are evaluating a brand, they’re looking at 10 reviews on average before that trust is established.

By having a ratings + reviews solution that does the heavy lifting for you—with an in-platform response system, competitive benchmarking, and intuitive trend reporting—brands are able to connect with more customers in a more timely way. This kind of attention is what drives brand loyalty and keeps customers coming back.

3. Improve Problem Resolution

Intuitive brand management technology—that works in conjunction with your customer experience management program—makes it easier to pinpoint customer issues and correct their problems faster. Features like real-time, in-platform response help provide a comprehensive close-the-loop process.

This is incredibly important because resolving a customer complaint isn’t just high stakes—it’s also a great opportunity. Customers who are highly satisfied with problem resolution are more likely to return than those with no reported problems at all.

Optimize Ratings + Reviews to Build Stronger Customer Relationships

It’s not just star ratings and social chatter floating around online—ratings + reviews are an opportunity to improve your brand’s reputation and build customer connections. If customers see you’re not engaging with their reviews, they won’t trust you with their business. So if you haven’t made online reputation management a top priority, you’re losing customers.

To learn more on how to stay ahead of the competition, inspire customer loyalty, and drive business outcomes with ratings + reviews, download the guide: 4 ways to boost business outcomes with online reputation management.