still happy with your product and service ? Most everyone turned to online reviews for answers . That skepticism is still there . If a consumer can ’ t get past your reviews , you ’ ll never get to the point where you get to pitch them . You won ’ t get the opportunity to tell them you have a 93 % on-time delivery rate .
And , by the way , most of your advertising expenditures will be almost worthless if you have low review ratings . We worked with one company that was spending $ 5000 a month on traditional advertising , but they had an average review rating of 3.8 stars . Imagine how much effort and money he poured down the drain . As soon as a prospect sees some of their marketing - say , a billboard or hears radio advertising - they will first look at their online reviews . With 3.8 stars , all those marketing dollars were sending his prospects to a brick wall . It ’ s like you ’ re building a pyramid on a shaky foundation . Whatever you put on top of that foundation won ’ t be solid if you don ’ t fix it . Those poor ratings will cancel all the Google ads , pay-per-click campaigns , Facebook marketing , radio , television , and word-of-mouth referrals .
CLDA Mag : As you put it , total strangers have as much or more credibility than the guy you know who gives you a recommendation .
Licklliter : True . Statistics show ninety-two percent of business-to-business buyers say that reading trusted reviews makes them more likely to call a business , and 93 % say reviews impact their purchasing decisions .
CLDA Mag : Where do business-to-business buyers go for reviews ?
Lickliter : Many consumers and businesses look at two or more review sites . The ones that they look
at the most are Google ( 81 %), Facebook ( 45 %), Yelp ( 44 %), and Better Business Bureau ( 38 %). Those are the big four . Facebook is huge . It ’ s number two , even for business-to-business .
CLDA Mag : What qualifies as a good review online reputation for business-to-business vendors like last-mile providers ?
Lickliter : For b2b , you ’ d better be over four and a half stars . We know that 49 % of customers spend more when you ’ ve got good reviews and that an increase of one star corresponds to a 9 % increase in revenue . And you ’ d better make sure those reviews are current . Fresh reviews ( less than three months old ) can increase revenues and website traffic by 20 %.
CLDA Mag : How does a carrier get positive reviews ?
Lickliter : To establish credibility and create trust , you must build a strong foundation based on the following :
• Your company ’ s Google page - Make sure you claim this .
• Your website - It must be current and optimized for the search terms buyers use .
• Positive reviews - You must ask for them , or they won ’ t happen .
When it comes to getting reviews , you have to ask . And you have to make sure they respond to that request by mobilizing multiple communications . Online reputation management firms like ours ensure you ’ re asking for and responding to reviews . Here ’ s how that works for our clients : Think of a giant , imaginary funnel . Our system gets clients into this funnel in as many ways as possible , which leads them to a
28 customized logistics & delivery Magazine I summer 2024