The Social Media Marketing Book

Chapter 7. Ratings and Reviews

Introduction

According to an April 2009 Nielsen Media Research survey, 70% of consumers trust consumer opinions posted online, compared to the 62% who trust TV ads, 61% who trust newspaper ads, and 59% who trust magazine ads (see Figure 7-1). A 2007 study from Forrester showed that 19% of online consumers in the United States comment on blogs and post ratings and reviews on the Web at least once per month. It's likely that in the two years since that data was published, an even larger portion of the population is commenting on blogs and posting ratings regularly.

Users are already talking about your products, services, and brand online whether you're involved in the conversation or not, so you might as well join the discussion. Burying your head in the sand and ignoring rating sites will do you no good; every local business should have a presence on local review sites.

Users of other types of social media are typically more into socializing—they're simply having fun. But no one searches for a dentist in Boston to amuse herself; review-site visitors are in the midst of making a purchasing decision, and you should be there for them. Compared to other forms of online advertising, and even many other types of social media marketing, engaging review sites requires a much lower investment of time and money, making it one of the most cost-effective things you ...