Online marketing is becoming increasingly important for companies all over the world. Many businesses are now just focusing on online techniques, and although traditional techniques are still popular, many companies choose online techniques due to their affordability and effectiveness.
The problem, however, is which technique to choose. There are many online marketing techniques, and some may be more effective for your organization than others. It varies depending on the size of your company, your industry, your target customers and other factors.
Two popular forms of online marketing are advertising and reviews. Many companies opt for ads because they are more familiar with the concept. However, online reviews can often be more effective. Here are a few reasons why.
Free Form of Marketing
One of the best things about online reviews is that they are free. Many forms of online marketing are cost effective, but free marketing is especially tempting.
You don’t have to pay people to write reviews. In fact, that goes against the whole concept of reviews. This compares favorably to advertising, in which there is always a cost involved, whether you run display ads or PPC ads. So if you want to take advantage of something that won’t cost you a penny, online reviews are a good option.
Increased Trust
People trust online reviews more than other forms of marketing, and especially advertising. In an advert, you are presenting your company how you wish to be seen and creating the image that you want to project. With reviews, however, it is other people who are talking about your company.
Online reviews highlight both the good and the bad about your products and services. If you get a lot of positive reviews, this can be a lot more powerful than an advertising campaign because people will know that the reviews provide an honest account of someone’s experience with your company.
As long as your reviews are generally good, they can become a very effective way of persuading more people to buy your products and services.
SEO Boost
Online reviews are increasingly being seen as a good way to boost your SEO. Search engine optimization is one of the most important types of online marketing, and many companies are now keen to improve their SEO.
Whereas advertising is not particularly effective in this area, reviews left at various third-party websites can be very effective for SEO. If you receive many reviews on a variety of different websites, this increases the diversity and number of links pointing back to your website. Even if the links are no follow links, all links are still good for SEO, so online reviews can improve your other online marketing efforts.
Take Advantage of Online Reviews
If you like the sound of online reviews, try to encourage your customers to start leaving them for you. One way to do this is to send them an email after they have made a purchase letting them know that you appreciate receiving reviews, and directing them to a review website. Then you can begin to take advantage of all of the benefits that online reviews provide.
