#HatersGonnaHate is a good motto for people who are trying to cut down on the negativity in their lives. But, it’s not the most solid advice for businesses. If people don’t like your brand, they’re going to tell their friends about it, and that’ll start a grapevine even the most powerful PR machines have trouble reversing.

Critical Reviews

In the old days, slighted customers have word of mouth and complaint letters to voice their displeasure with products and services. Now, users have something that’s a hundred times more potent – user reviews. The power of these personal testimonies is difficult to overstate, especially for e-commerce sites and local businesses.

Negative reviews have either a silent or devastating effect on business, depending on the circumstances. But, what gives reviews their power? Reviews carry a lot of credibility, which is one of the holy grails of sales. People nowadays will only buy a product or do business with you if they feel the trust, and reviews trigger that emotional connection inherently.

Reviewing the Numbers

This is because as much as 79% of online users trust third party reviews as much as a personal referral and 90% admit that reviews influence their purchasing decisions. The potential loss when users don’t like you can’t be ignored. Fortunately, there are ways for local businesses and e-commerce sites to bring the power of the review to their side.

There’s definitely support for the argument that positive reviews are more powerful and easier to achieve than negative ones. This is especially taking into consideration the mindset users commonly have when they’re looking for information on a product – they already want to buy it.

Reviewing Towards a Positive Reputation

In business, there’s something called a customer funnel, a model that helps marketers determine at what stage of the buying process people are, and how close they are to purchasing something. Following this model, it’s safe to assume that consumers looking at reviews already intend to buy; they just need that final affirmation to click place order or call to get service.

When you work with Spike Interactive, we’ll ensure that any positive reviews thrown your brand’s way are found faster by the people who need it. We’ll even go a step further and help you encourage happy users leave reviews of their own, and multiply the potential for conversions. All you need to do is contact us today, and we can begin to improve your review standing.