When was the last time you double-checked on the conversation surrounding your brand or business online?  Did you find consumer reviews, and if so, were those reviews positive?  How many were not positive?  You did find consumer reviews, right!?

Oscar Wilde said it best: “the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”

As it turns out, the forward thinking Mr. Wilde might have been a 19th century reputation management consultant had he only been less elegant with the pen.  Findings released in the last couple months by UK based search engine marketing firm BrightLocal suggest that Oscar Wilde had it right, with respondents noting that 6-10 online reviews are necessary on average to instill a trusting impression of a business.

Among the many other findings that BrightLocal’s survey unearthed, some of the more striking of those (in my opinion) include:

• 29% of men use the internet at least once a month to find a local business vs. 24% of women
• 71% of US consumers have consulted online customer reviews of local businesses.
• 50% of US consumers are more likely to use a local business having read positive online reviews.
• Reputation matters the most for Dentists/Doctors (mainly in the US) as well Hotels & Restaurants. However reputation for Tradesmen, Builders and Garages is also very important.

On a more relative note, but no less intriguing, are the results below that relate to “reputation traits.”

Which of the following ‘Reputation-traits’ is MOST important to you when selecting a local business to use?

Key colors refer to respondent age values

Although the BrightLocal survey focused on positive as opposed to negative reviews, it is important for small business owners to remember that even negative reviews present an opportunity for positive outcomes.  While positive reviews offer consumers the chance to read about an experience second-hand, negative reviews (if addressed by the business in question) offer the chance to observe an experience (i.e. review/response) first-hand.  If the negative review is addressed properly, a minus just may become an even bigger than average plus.

Not reading much online about your business? Perhaps it is time to get proactive about your presence on review sites. Although some review sites discourage (or outright prohibit) the practice of asking customers to explicitly log on to publish resounding reviews about your business, letting your customers know that you have a home online where they can leave a review about your business is considered good practice, and this should be a part of the small talk that takes place at the checkout counter. For this to happen, however, you may need to register your business with a review website first.  Below is a list of major review sites online that small businesses can utilize for free.  Note that signing up on too many business review websites may spread your reviews too thin, and hence, dilute the effectiveness of your good reputation online.

Now, go get your 6-10 reviews!

Yelp
Insider Pages
Google Maps
Bing Local
City Search
Yahoo Local
Local.com
Merchant Circle