The Power of Online Reviews

It’s a fact. Prospects consult online reviews to make decisions.

Forbes.com gives these statistics:

• 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business. (2016)
• Online reviews have been shown to impact 67.7% of purchasing decisions. (2015)
• 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. (2016)
• 74% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more. (2016)

ReviewTrackers.com offers these stats for our consideration:

• 94% say an online review has convinced them to avoid a business.
• 80% of customers don’t trust businesses with lower than 4-star ratings.

Many of us do the same thing. We check Google Maps, Yelp, or Trip Advisor for good restaurants when traveling. Who hasn’t looked up an item on Amazon only to scroll to the bottom and read the reviews before they learn the details about the product?

With most people using online reviews to make decisions, Churches can leverage this trend to reach more people for Christ. Before I show you these easy steps, let’s consider the good and bad of online reviews.

Pros & Cons of Online Reviews

Pros –

• Online reviews are easy ways to share experiences and recommendations.
• They are free.
• They powerfully influence future prospects.
• When considered as honest opinions from fellow prospects, they are better than paid advertising.
• Even the most introverted church member can help bring people to Jesus by leaving a positive review.
• God can use online reviews to draw people to your church.

Cons –

• Online reviews are easy ways for detractors or disgruntleds to smear your reputation.
• Negative reviews can hinder your influence in the community.
• Satan can use low reviews to dissuade prospects from attending.

This is our one negative Google review:

CCBC Negative Review

FYI: Curtis Corner Baptist Church is not a synagogue. Clearly, this person has never visited our church or wanted to leave a poor review to hurt the reputation of our Church. That will happen. If you are the right kind of church, some in your community won’t appreciate your strong stand on God’s Word. Spiritual conflict means that you are doing your job.

The answer to community negativity is not to hide from the public eye. That’s what cults do. The answer is to have a proven and powerful plan to tell the community who you are (promotion, branding & marketing) before someone else tries to convince them.

How do you handle negative reviews?