Word of mouth has always been an important element in the public relations toolkit – now, thanks to the popularity of online review sites, recommendation has become more formalised. Manchester public relations consultancy Republic Relations has found encouraging and gathering reviews is a service that clients, especially SMEs are finding invaluable.
Fake reviews are illegal
It is important to clarify that writing fake reviews, sometimes known as astroturfing, is illegal in the UK. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 prohibits unfair commercial practices in Britain and fake reviews would also break advertising standard codes. While it may seem tempting to write fake reviews, to get those all-important four or five stars – don’t.
If you don’t ask you don’t get
It’s seems like stating the obvious but the most important thing you can do to ensure a good reviews is to offer a five-star product or service in the first place. Sadly, even the best public relations team in Greater Manchester cannot repair damage caused by shoddy products or poor customer relations – that it entirely out of your hands. However, we can work with SMEs to encourage your customers to leave reviews about their positive experience.
People tend to be more likely to leave poor reviews and complain than they are to say good things about your company which is why you need to ask them to take the time to write something for you. For some reason, business owners can feel awkward about asking their customers to do this, which is why out-sourcing your customer reviews and reputation management to a PR agency such as Republic Relations could be a way forward. Over 93% of consumers say online reviews impact their purchasing decisions - which is why your business needs to have those star ratings.
Republic Relations works with numerous businesses to encourage genuine happy customers to leave reviews and we are happy to advise you on the best way and the best time to approach satisfied customers to pop onto your preferred reviews site to say a few words.
It’s important to remember that most people will be more than happy to do this for a company they have enjoyed working with and just like you, Republic Relations is equally keen to capture positive comments as you can see from our own testimonial page. As the old saying goes – if you don’t ask, you don’t get!
Get in touch with Republic Relations if you would like advice about reviews.