The Power of Reviews: 4 Ways They Impact Your Community
Your online reputation has a lasting impact on people who are searching for your community or the services that you offer. Research shows that 90% of people check out a business online before becoming a customer. It’s clear that customers are evolving, they want to know more about your community before committing. To compete online in the competitive senior care industry, it is essential to evolve alongside customers.
Because this industry is so competitive, it’s crucial to have your community’s information show up before your competitions or third-party lead aggregators like A Place for Mom or Caring.com. The amount and quality of online reviews your community has plays a big part in that. Here are four other ways in which online reviews can impact your reputation and placement on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP):
1. Positive Reviews = More Possible Leads
If prospective lead sees positive reviews on their initial search, they are much more likely to be converted to an actual lead. Positive reviews are beneficial because potential leads are getting the information they want from another person’s perspective, it’s not a sales pitch from you or your community. This is your chance to make a first impression — if your Google listing is incomplete or has multiple negative reviews, you are less likely to convert that person into an actual lead.
Reviews also help improve SEO rankings, the more that is written about your community, the better. When someone performs a local search or branded search on Google, they typically trigger a local three-pack of results with Google local pages. Communities with more reviews rank higher on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and are prioritized on the local three-pack.
2. Free Marketing
When it comes to marketing your community, who better to speak for you than the people that actually live there? Whether it’s from an actual resident of from their family or caregiver, a positive review can be worth a great deal and can offer your community benefits that a simple marketing campaign can’t.
Reviews are like mini-marketing campaigns because they offer actual insight and a constant positive image to potential leads, and they are always there. The more positive reviews your community has, the better because those reviews keep working for your community long after they are posted.
3. Increase Brand Trust and Credibility
Research has shown that a large number of positive reviews, especially when it comes to local searches, helps increase brand trust. Brand trust is something your community can use to get more reviews, which will increase online exposure which will get more traffic to your community’s website which will hopefully turn into leads. Reviews are the new form of “word of mouth” marketing, so make sure the word about your community is trustworthy and credible.
4. Negative Reviews can be Positive
While positive reviews are certainly preferred, negative reviews have their benefits too. When someone leaves a negative review, you get a chance to see the areas where you can improve, and you also get the opportunity to respond. When you respond to negative reviews, it’s important to remember that you’re not only speaking to that one particular customer but also other potential customers.
In the end…
If your community is struggling to convert prospective leads into actual leads, it could be a result of your online reputation — or lack thereof. With more than 90% of online users reading reviews and 85% of users trusting those reviews as much as personal recommendations, your online reputation is more important than ever.
When you partner with Goldn, LLC, we will help your community improve online reputation by soliciting more feedback with our Review Generation tool, monitoring reviews with our helpful Online Dashboard, and highlighting the positive reviews on your website to increase reach. Email sales@getgoldn.com to request more information about our SEO and Reputation Management Program. You can also call (888) 482-6691 to speak with one of our online reputation or SEO specialists.
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