Consumers Trust Recommendations From Friends Online, Opinions From Strangers
According to the latest Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries, "recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising worldwide. 90% of consumers surveyed said that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70% trusted consumer opinions posted online." Click here for complete details on the Nielsen survey.
In other words, while guest referrals -- word of mouth recommendations -- are as important as they've always been, online reviews --essentially an online version of a word of mouth recommendations --are a close second, and offer an ideal route for reaching new guests from beyond your primary market areas. If you are not yet acheiving at least one new review per month (and saving on your membership fees in the process, login to your Home Base and click Reviews.