Online Reviews – Another marketing scam?
Marketers around the world have long discovered the wonders of online media. As customers become more Internet-savvy, retailers and other consumer-based businesses are turning to the web to engage, convince, and close in on potential customers.
User reviews are a popular tool that businesses have been using since the start of the dot com era. As a popular testimonial to the quality of services for many websites user reviews can now be found everywhere on the Internet on sites such as: Yelp.com, Google Places, Angie’s List, and many other online directories. While online viewers are still constantly using these user-generated reviews, as a guide for purchasing new products and services, online e-marketers have become wary of the misuse and abuse of online reviews, so they are citing unethical methods of generating such reviews.
In recent months, several companies have noticed a rapid increase in the rate that online user reviews are getting posted. These reviews, majority good ones, boost rankings of businesses on many sites and provide readers with a false outlook on actual travel destinations, apparel and shoes, and even spa services. Many reviewers might not even have used these products or services before.
CNN reported that some reviewers are paid over $5 per review!
How do you tell real reviews from the fluff?
- Beware of reviews that claim everything is the best. Fake reviews tend to praise services and products from head to tail without actually pointing out the benefits of the products.
- Overgeneralization. Since fake reviewers have not necessarily tried a service or used a product, many of them are unable to provide specifics on the benefits of the product or service or point out areas that are great versus those that need improvement. Customers who genuinely want to help other viewers decide on a service will give details on their experience and what they like or do not like about a company.
- 100% positive reviews is something to look out for. While there are companies that provide excellent service, a company with 106 5-star reviews that were posted within a short timeframe of 30 days or less is a red flag. These reviews might just not be something you want to base your decisions on.
- Offshore or out-of-state reviewer locations for a spa service might indicate that reviews are not genuine, especially if majority of the reviews are not near the physical location of the spa. Why would 100 people travel 80 miles to get a 30 minute massage?
With all the crazy things people are doing now on the Internet, it never hurts to be a little more careful in trusting any source of information, especially if it is an anonymous one.
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Marketers around the world have long discovered the wonders of online media. As customers become more Internet-savvy, retailers and other consumer-based businesses are turning to the web to engage, convince, and close in on potential customers.
User reviews are a popular tool that businesses have been using since the start of the dot com era. As a popular testimonial to the quality of services for many websites user reviews can now be found everywhere on the Internet on sites such as: Yelp.com, Google Places, Angie’s List, and many other online directories. While online viewers are still constantly using these user-generated reviews, as a guide for purchasing new products and services, online e-marketers have become wary of the misuse and abuse of online reviews, so they are citing unethical methods of generating such reviews.
In recent months, several companies have noticed a rapid increase in the rate that online user reviews are getting posted. These reviews, majority good ones, boost rankings of businesses on many sites and provide readers with a false outlook on actual travel destinations, apparel and shoes, and even spa services. Many reviewers might not even have used these products or services before.
CNN reported that some reviewers are paid over $5 per review!
How do you tell real reviews from the fluff?
- Beware of reviews that claim everything is the best. Fake reviews tend to praise services and products from head to tail without actually pointing out the benefits of the products.
- Overgeneralization. Since fake reviewers have not necessarily tried a service or used a product, many of them are unable to provide specifics on the benefits of the product or service or point out areas that are great versus those that need improvement. Customers who genuinely want to help other viewers decide on a service will give details on their experience and what they like or do not like about a company.
- 100% positive reviews is something to look out for. While there are companies that provide excellent service, a company with 106 5-star reviews that were posted within a short timeframe of 30 days or less is a red flag. These reviews might just not be something you want to base your decisions on.
- Offshore or out-of-state reviewer locations for a spa service might indicate that reviews are not genuine, especially if majority of the reviews are not near the physical location of the spa. Why would 100 people travel 80 miles to get a 30 minute massage?
With all the crazy things people are doing now on the Internet, it never hurts to be a little more careful in trusting any source of information, especially if it is an anonymous one.
