Wednesday, February 14, 2007
User Reviews Worth the Risk
YellowPages.com is the latest business directory to add consumer reviews to its website. For businesses, consumer ratings can be an inexpensive "word of mouth" marketing tool, as long as the posts are authentic.Yellowpages.com initiated a 1 to 5 star rating system and allows registered users (thereby collecting some valuable demographic info) to post comments. The company will filter comments (no profanity please) and enables the business owners to directly respond to comments. Requiring registration to make comments will hopefully discourage some people from posting bogus reviews to harm or help the advertiser.
User reviews are integral to consumers putting their trust in unknown companies, and companies should encourage their clients to contribute to add reviews in their marketing materials by providing links to the places where they advertise. Even if there is an occasional negative review, if the majority of customers give the thumbs up, people are more likely to choose a business that has been rated versus one that is completely unknown.
Posted By John Gartner at 11:16 AM
Permanent Link: User Reviews Worth the Risk
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