The age of technology has given us a world of information at our fingertips, for some of us though we take for granted the importance of the information we do have available to us and how we can add to this to make it more beneficial. In today’s world, we seem to follow the same patterns when it comes to the internet; we use it to either prove a point, or we use it to make one publicly. The trouble with this is, we have become a world of complainers, and what we need is to support each other. While the internet is one of the most useful things on the face of the earth, it can also be one of the most detrimental things to small businesses. Of course, larger businesses can suffer too, but they generally have the budget and options to have more positive words spread about them than negative. In this blog, I am going to be taking a look at just how advantageous it could be if we all come together and started to support the smaller businesses out there. I am going to look at the importance of positive reviews for smaller businesses, and then we will see how what you write could help boost your local economy.
Why Reviews Help
As I have discussed, the majority of us turn to the internet for pretty much everything nowadays. Did you know that it is thought that 91% of people now read company reviews, and 84% of those people will trust the reviews they read. These statistics are genuinely breathtaking when you look at them, and if there is a company without reviews, more often than not, a consumer will generally avoid them. A business without reviews can often seem untrustworthy, and this is more or less never the case. Let’s look at this from a simple angle. If you are buying something on eBay, the first thing you look at after the item is the feedback of the seller. Today, nothing is more important to a prospect than general public opinion. So if you have just used a new online business or any business for that matter, there has never been a more critical time to leave them a review.
You Can Help That Business Grow
In a world dominated by huge corporations, the little guys seem to be suffering more than ever. If you do something as simple as leaving a review, you can also do your part in helping that business grow. Every single day 65% of all internet users see a simple Google search as the best way to find a business for something that they want. While trying to decipher the Google search algorithms is nigh on impossible, there is one thing we know, Google reviews play a considerable part in local search results. According to Moz, almost 10% of the entire search algorithm is driven by Google business reviews.
It’s Not All About Google
While Google is, of course, incredibly popular, this is not the only place you should leave your reviews. One of the best places you can leave a review for a business is on Facebook. Facebook reviews are so much more than merely social nowadays, and with 2.4 billion users per month, you can boost things for a business with a review on Facebook.
Along with Google and Facebook, millions of people turn to the Better Business Bureau every year for profiles and information on millions of businesses. So while obviously, it’s important to write a review on Google reviews, it’s equally as important to hit as many mediums as you can.
You should treat your positive reviews as you would negative ones and help small businesses grow.
Leave A Real Review
The final thing I am going to address today is that simply leaving a review saying “5 star – good” just doesn’t cut it nowadays. If you are serious about supporting local businesses and helping them become a part of our future economy, you need to put some effort into your review. When leaving a review, try to leave information about who you dealt with, why your experience was exceptional, and help show why the business is worth using. While it may seem like a small step, it really can help boost things for the little guy out there, and by writing a few paragraphs on why a business is not only great for you but will be great for others, it will undoubtedly go a long way.
Wrap Up
As you can see, leaving a review for a small business can give them the support they need. A review will only take you a few minutes and will cost you nothing. It is silly to think that something as small as leaving a review can change things so much for a business, but it really can.