People and small business owners are always rating something or reviewing it! Actually, it was found that the majority of small business owners (90%) and consumers (80%) are active users in some kind of review and ratings Web sites, according to the 2009 Online Ratings Survey commissioned by LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell and conducted by Lightspeed Research.
Interestingly, small business owners place a value on review and ratings Web sites. 87 % of them said that they have provided feedback on these kinds of Web sites.
But, what are their reasons?
They use review and ratings Web sites for either professional or personal reasons. For instance, for their:
- local activities & tourism
- restaurants & other food services
- trade and medical needs
- making purchasing decisions
- other business needs
Among the advantages, we can say that:
-         You can make a differentiation of your products or services from those offered by other companies
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Small Businesses are held to higher standards
-         Customers can share their own experiences with products and services. Remember that satisfied customers will give good ratings, those who aren’t satisfied will probably give you a bad rating
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Users can see other customer testimonials
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Users can compare different products or services
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Users can make better buying decisions!
In order to offer a greater value to your business, rating and review Web sites should add a combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluations.
For avoiding bad reviews, just be willing to do your best! Provide good service, solutions, and solve complaints as quick as possible.
Sources:
New Survey Reveals Heavy Use of Online Ratings Web Sites Among Small Business Owners and Consumers
