After Google purchased Yelp in 2009, local business reviews became very significant. Although online marketers knew that comments and reviews are and have been beneficial for the business owner with an online presence, few others recognized how important those reviews actually were and will continue to be.
Why Should you Manage Your Local Business Reviews?
Local businesses should consider how reviews affect customer choice and loyalty. Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask, and others give the customer an opportunity to voice their opinion – quite publicly – next to the business listing. Potential customers see what has been previously written and base their decisions on that information.
Local businesses need to actively encourage positive reviews. There is no way to erase a poor review, true or false. If you understand the importance of this side of social media, there are some things you should do to protect your brand. [Read more…] about Local Business Reviews are Social Media, Too