Ever look for a good place to go (restaurant, movies, trip, shows, etc..) and count on a good review. With millions of reviews on various sites from IMDB, TripAdvisor, Google, Instagram, Facebook and much more. All these brilliant sites offer different reviews rating from 1 – 5 or 1 – 10. You know that you’re always looking for the highest rating possible that will satisfy your needs. But the question is, is the highest rating review always the best choice? Trustworthy or a risk you are taking?
For example- you want go to a restaurant to celebrate an occasion and you have just read great reviews on Google, Facebook, and TripAdvisor– at 4.5/5, but its not what you expected. Can you ever trust a good review that can turn for the worse?
Maybe your planning a trip of a lifetime with your significant other, friends or family and seeking the best accommodations. TripAdvisor is a great tool to create reviews from personal experience for restaurants, hotels, and attractions to visit. TripAdvisor website offers (TripAdvisor Certification of Excellence Award) to Business owners who received high reviews online for at least 12 months.
A friend of yours has just posted a raving review via Facebook about a new movie that just hit the theater that you were dying to see. However after seeing the film, you began to think, why did my time get wasted. Always trust your instincts, even if the IMDB rating is high, low, or average. In the end, you are the only person who can judge if the movie was a success or failure.
The main question is, why do people read online reviews or even trust it?
- Provide personal guidance of the product
- Experience
- Indicate the pros and cons
- Make it easier for consumers to decide on the service or product itself.
How can a good online review affect your business
- Promote the business or services
- Increase in sales
- Create awareness
How can a bad online review affect your business
- Decrease in sales
- Not trustful
- Online search engine- lowered
Reviews will always help you decide when you need more information on a product or services. Just remember that a review is not always sincere. The person behind the desk could be real or unreal. Trust yourself and make the right choice.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 