ConsumerAffairs at LeadsCon Connect to Convert 2017

Solar Eclipse and lots of Weird Tricks to Convert Leads

What an excellent week in NYC! Not only did we have the opportunity to witness the first total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States since 1979, but our COO, Eric Jenkins, had the opportunity to speak on the topic of “One Weird Trick for Closing Leads,” alongside Stacy Kashy of ConsumerAffairs accredited brand Endurance.

Can you guess the one weird trick? Don’t worry it isn’t dragons or cat memes. It’s the use of customer reviews, and most important negative reviews, in your marketing mix.

Yes, you read that right: Negative reviews convert leads.

At ConsumerAffairs, we write a lot about the benefits of customer reviews. That’s because we believe in them. Our mission is to help everyone (both consumers and brands) make smart decisions, and we believe customer reviews are a crucial element in the mix. What we’ve found through the years is that having a realistic, equally-sided sentiment expressed through user-generated online content, such as reviews, has proven to increase lead conversions.

In fact, according to an internal ConsumerAffairs study, consumers were more likely to click, call or complete a lead form for a business with a star rating between 4 and 4.5 stars over businesses with all 5-star reviews. Interestingly, those who actively seek out negative reviews are actually 7 times more likely to convert to customers. Why? Buyers are looking for content to make informed decisions and they trust information from other buyers more than information they get directly from brands. Brands that showcase the full scope of their customer’s experience transparently have an easier time earning the trust of consumers.

Partnering with a reputation management platform, like ConsumerAffairs for Brands, is an excellent way for businesses to engage with their negative and positive reviews.

We want to extend a big thank you to everyone who attended Eric and Stacy’s presentation. We are looking forward to connecting and learning with our partners at LeadsCon again in the spring.

If you are interested in learning more about generating more customer reviews via ConsumerAffairs for Brands, let’s talk!