By Erin Levine
Researching companies on bbb.org before doing business with them is crucial when trying to figure out which companies to trust and which to avoid. These reports are increasingly user-friendly and easily accessible via the web and BBB iPhone app. The BBB delivers information on over 45,000 local companies a day to you, our local consumers. Now, your BBB also helps you harness the strength of a Facebook “like” or a Google “+1” straight from your BBB Business Review.
The redeveloped BBB Business Reviews have a gang of great new features that benefit both our Accredited Businesses and the consumers who are seeking you out. One that should not be overlooked is the Google “+1” and Facebook “Like” buttons. These buttons allow consumers to share content they like with others, and are especially beneficial to smaller businesses that may not be taking part in forms of paid advertising.
This feature can potentially give your company a great amount of exposure because when a consumer clicks one of these buttons, it shows up in their news feed, giving their entire network the opportunity to see your company’s Business Review and BBB rating. Consumers are pack animals, if their friends like it, chances are they will want to check it out too. It just takes one “Like” or “+1” to start gaining this momentum.
Another way these buttons give you more exposure, particularly the Google “+1” button, is the influence it has on search engines. Each time your BBB Business Review’s Google +1 button is clicked, it becomes more relevant in Google search results, a benefit that is invaluable.
Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways of marketing. If a company is recommended by someone you trust you will be more likely to do business with them. The Google “+1” and Facebook “Like” buttons are essentially a recommendation from someone in your social network, and chances are the people that are in your social network are people whose opinions you value.
These new additions add even more credibility to your most trustworthy source of pre-purchase information. So what are you waiting for? Check out the new BBB Business Reviews on BBB.org and help your family and friends find businesses they can trust.
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