When you grab a bite to eat at a train station, bus terminal or tourist spot, you never expect to get an exceptional meal.  It will be adequate at best, downright terrible at worst. The same goes for the service.

Why is this? Because the proprietors of these restaurants know that their customers are all one-time visitors. They’re eating there because they have to, and they won’t return, whether or not the meal is great. It’s not really in their interests to invest in providing exceptional dining. Their place in the market is one of convenience, location and timing.

These types of businesses aren’t that worried about their reputations. There is some impact with reviews from sites, like TripAdvisor, but for the most part, tourists and travelers go to these restaurants because of where they are. The restaurants don’t have much to lose by being average.

But the opposite is true for most businesses. You need a reputation, and it needs to create the perception that you’re great at what you do.

Reviews and assumptions

Recently, I decided to hire a handyman for some repairs around my home. I searched for handyman services in the area and found one in particular that had a large number of online reviews.  He ranked 5-stars across the board.

Here is an admission. I only skimmed over these reviews. I didn’t read any of them in detail. I saw words, like “honest,” “on-time,” “fair estimate” and “very helpful,” and felt that’s all I needed.

But despite my hasty reading, the reviews had a huge influence. In fact, this guy’s strong review profile was the reason I decided to hire him.

I realized what was affecting me was a perception — a kind of social proof. But it was more than just a feeling of “that many people can’t be wrong,” nor was it merely evidence that this guy did good work.

I made an assumption. This guy has a strong online reputation, which also means he has a strong online reputation to lose.

Unlike a tourist restaurant catering to one-time customers, his reputation matters. The quality of service he provides has an impact on how well he can secure future leads.

My assumption is that with a strong online reputation to maintain, he’ll do good work for me.

Reviews create a perception

Today, online reviews are an expectation. Data shows that just going from zero reviews to one increases the rate at which online “window-shoppers” on e-commerce sites click the buy button by 65%. About one-third of Amazon shoppers report that they straight out won’t buy a product that has no positive reviews.

Think about it. If you were hiring a contractor to come work on your home, would you hire someone with zero reviews? Just look at how local Google business results are dominated by review content:

The star ratings are by far the most eye-catching content on this page. When people see you have a reputation to maintain, it creates a perception on a number of levels.

First, of course, is that you have a quality product. You deliver on your promises.

The second is that you have a reputation to lose, and you’ll guard against that with the quality of your service.

When you don’t have any reviews, you don’t have an online reputation. You look like a business where gaining repeat business isn’t a concern — you’re a passing thing, maybe even some type of scam.

Or you create the perception that nobody cared enough to bother with a review — positive or negative.

You can expect this perception to have a considerable impact on your lead generation and sales. You need a reputation because that alone means you have a reputation to protect.

Reviews are no longer a matter of simply providing proof that you do good work. They tap into the emotional ways we decide to trust a person or business.

It’s said that much of the value of advertising is that it demonstrates that the business is committed enough to their idea that they’re willing to spend on advertising. It’s a reason we often trust bigger brands more; we know they’re invested enough in what they’re doing that they won’t deliver us complete crap.

Online reviews send a message: you’re committed enough to your business to have a reputation that’s worth protecting.

So start building that reputation and making sure it’s turning into online review content. If you don’t have a reputation that looks like it’s worth protecting, you’re likely to go unnoticed by online consumers. Learn how the Marketing 360® Reputation app can help you build a strong reputation and maximize your success.

Originally published on 6/29/17