Using Reviews to Increase your Customer Base

There is definitely something to be said about establishing a solid budget for your online marketing campaign. After all, a marketing strategy that utilizes the best professionals and tools in order to reach your targeted customers is well worth the investment. While it is extremely important to rely on a trusted professional marketer for help, there are also a lot of free strategies you can employ on your own in order to significantly grow your customer base. Consider the following personal example as just one idea for growing your customer base.

Not only am I a professional online marketer, but I am also an avid CrossFit junkie. I love working out and I love the unique program offered by CrossFit. I have been visiting this particular gym for about 8 months, and the results are better than I had anticipated. About 3 months ago I was browsing Google+ and I noticed this particular gym didn’t have one single review. Since I personally love visiting this gym, I decided to write a review and share it with all of my Google+ friends.

About 3 months after writing the review, I received a picture message of a screen shot of the review I wrote from an old college friend. He asked me for more information about why I liked this gym. We engaged in conversation for a few minutes, and I asked him how he came across my review. He said he was researching different gyms on the internet and my review showed up in the search results. At the end of the conversation, I invited him to attend a class at CrossFit with me that night. He came to the class, loved it and signed up as a gym member right after the class.

Writing this one review took me about 2 minutes, and resulted in a sale for this great CrossFit gym. By participating in a free and simple Google service, this gym acquired a dedicated and paying customer. Not only did the review result in my friend as a new customer, but also opens the door for my friend to bring in potential customers as well.

This first-hand example just goes to show how important it is to encourage your customers to write online reviews for you, especially if they love your services. In fact, according to a study performed by Search Engine Land, 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. That’s huge! If you are looking to get more involved in your online marketing campaign, consider engaging with your customers and asking them to write a review for your company online. Undoubtedly, it will turn into new business for you.