The only thing worse than a bad review is no review at all

In years past we based our decision to buy on advertisements and what our friends/family/co-workers told us we should buy. Today, advertising has dramatically declined in influence and the power of word of mouth from our immediate connections is followed closely by what strangers have to say about products & services. With this tilt in influence many businesses are being left in the dust.

Just yesterday I pointed out to one of my clients that when I do a Google Search for their brand name autocomplete shows me that the second most searched phrase is “(brand name) reviews”. I then discovered that there was not one review on the first 2 pages of search results. In other words, people are searching for what others have to say about my client’s brand only to find nothing. Opportunity lost.

Consumers complain that in this day of social connectivity there is an overwhelming amount of information to filter through. Google is just one example of a tool that helps customers find meaningful information. Another example is Just Buy This One, a site that makes a single product recommendation based on millions of reviews. As time goes on, we will see more and more ‘filter tools’ using ratings and reviews to help customers make buying decisions.

In a 2010 study conducted by social networking site myYearbook, 81 percent of respondents said they’d received advice from friends and followers relating to a product purchase through a social site; 74 percent of those who received such advice found it to be influential in their decision. For mass brands, getting someone to write a review about your products and services is simple. Just exist. Small to medium sized businesses need to have a strategy. Laying dormant online is not an option anymore.

What are you doing to get people to talk about you online?