Before the internet took over, local businesses survived by word of mouth; one person would recommend their service to another, and so on. These days, the internet has largely taken the place of those friendly recommendations. Though, unfortunately, a lot of small business owners overlook the power of online reviews.

When’s the last time you took a few minutes to check out your business’ rating on Google, Yelp, or Facebook? Not only does your star rating have a direct impact on potential customers, it also gives them an opportunity to see how you interact with clients who aren’t 100% satisfied with the services you provided.

In the eyes of marketing and communication leaders, reputation marketing is seen as crisis management; it’s seen as the art of continuously shaping and influencing what others are saying about your brand. Basically, you need to have a plan in place to both successfully gather feedback from happy clients and to quickly satisfy those that are less than thrilled with the services you provided.

Not fully convinced? Just take a look at these stats provided by Invesp.

Source: http://www.invespcro.com/blog/the-importance-of-online-customer-reviews-infographic/