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Why Every Small Business Needs Reviews

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Written by Alexandra Hicks

These days, online reviews from relevant sites in your industry can make or break your small business.

Reviews are basically like word-of-mouth advertising in the digital age. According to a recent survey, 91 percent of consumers read online reviews and a whopping 84 percent trust them as much as personal recommendations. Statistics likes this really illuminate the major impact reviews can have on a business, especially a smaller one with a limited advertising budget.

Good reviews can help promote your brand and improve your reputation. They can convince those customers who are on the fence about trying your product to take the plunge. On the flip side, too many negative reviews can have equally undesirable ramifications.

There are three main reasons why reviews are an important factor for anyone trying to grow their brand: they help build credibility, they improve SEO, and they help you establish a rapport with your customers. Let’s take a quick look at each of these in detail.

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Reviews Build Credibility

Most people these days carry a smartphone, tablet, or both. As such, consumers conduct more research prior to making a purchase than ever before. Like I mentioned earlier, the majority of shoppers trust reviews – so multiple positive reviews indicate that a business is reputable and appreciated by their customers.

Reviews Improve Your SEO

If you work in any type of eCommerce marketplace, you’ve likely heard of a little thing called SEO. In short, SEO establishes the order in which results appear in online searches. The behemoth of search engines, Google, uses review information from many different sites and uses it in an algorithm that determines where a website or business lands in the search results. Other sites use online review to give businesses an overall rating, such as Facebook and Yelp. We all know how hard it can be to work with search engines when you’re in the cannabis industry, so any edge should be fully utilized.

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Reviews Help You Connect With Your Customers

Customers like to know that their contributions to your business don’t go unnoticed. When they write reviews, they’re taking time out their days and putting energy towards the process of informing others about your products; and they’re only doing so because they feel very passionate about what you’re selling. Taking the time to respond a quick ‘thank you’ to individual reviews can go a long way towards making customers feel appreciated. This also offers another level of credibility to people who are reading the reviews.

Product reviews can also help illuminate any problem areas that you may not have realized even existed, and they can also help you learn more about what your customers might want or expect from your company in the future. Basically, it’s market research, in addition to outwardly benefits listed above.

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About the author

Alexandra Hicks

Managing editor at Cannadelics and U.S based journalist, helping spread the word about the many benefits of using cannabis and psychedelics.