The Power of Reviews

Majority of online shoppers do their homework prior to purchase. As consumers, we trust other paying customer reviews over the brand behind the product. In fact, 93% of consumers trust people more than brands. It is more natural for us to take the word of our peers, friends, family, colleagues, even strangers. We trust these people to share their honest opinion and experience since they stand nothing to gain. Reviews are so important that nearly 70% of customers read anywhere from 1 to 25 consumer product reviews before purchase.

Brands are starting to realize that overproduced content will always perform less than content that feels more organic and natural. Marketers must find new ways to connect and build trust among consumers. Research has revealed the importance of incorporating customers’ voices in your marketing and brand strategy. Brands have begun using customer testimonials as a useful tool. Chobani, for example, had a billboard campaign that repurposed customer tweets. This allowed Chobani to market their product while sharing positive customer reviews. Another great example was demonstrated by Everlane, who started including ratings and reviews in their newsletters. Weaving in the voices of a brands biggest fans creates more excitement and engagement.

Customers are creating user-generated content all the time, allowing brands to use this content as a new marketing tool. Instead of creating their own content, brands can fill their pages with reviews directly from customers. When brands include user-generated content, they receive 4 times higher click-through rates compared to average ads. The goal is to use the power of reviews to share content that feels authentic to potential customers.