In today’s social landscape, getting content in front of your target audience is easier than ever. Brands that invest in Facebook ads and Google Adwords have the ability to place their website in front of thousands of potential customers who fit their target profile. Take a local makeup brand for example. In just a few clicks, you can set up a daily campaign that targets women interested in makeup within a two mile radius of your store.

That sounds great, right? Unfortunately, what appears to be the easy answer may not actually be the right plan for you. Back to the makeup company example, even if that brand is getting its advertisement in front the desired target, so are the hundreds of other makeup brands advertising on Facebook; and Facebook always favors the big dogs. It is simply impossible to compete with big budget brands like Mac or Sephora, who are spending 10x as much to promote their content.

Let’s face it, at the end of the day that’s what it ultimately comes down to in advertising; who is willing to spend more. While frequently posting on social media may be necessary to staying relevant, it is difficult to convert posts into actual sales without spending astronomical amounts of money. Facebook and Google are essentially bidding platforms, and the more you bid they greater reach your content will get. If your brand has to compete for attention from major chains, news articles and pictures from friends, your post will quickly be seen and forgotten without making any impact. Or it may not reach them at all.

So how does your makeup brand stand out from every other brand you see on Facebook or Google? From good old fashion word of mouth- or, as the 21 centuries likes to call it- online reviews.

Reviews, unlike Facebook or Google ads, are not about who has the bigger budget. They’re all about how well you can serve your customers, which is something any company, big or small, can do to beat their competition. In fact, 92% of consumers now read online reviews, and 88% of online shoppers incorporate reviews into their purchasing decision. Even Google and Facebook understand the power of online reviews. Google places reviewed sites at the top of their search results, and Facebook displays your business’s ratings above any of your posts (that you may have paid quite a bit to create).

How to Improve your Online Ranking

So, you understand the importance of online reviews, but here comes the hard part- getting them. Chasing down customers for reviews and asking them to go online to rank your business is tiresome and ineffective. Even going to most third party systems is out of the question, because of the high prices, complicated system and unwanted contracts. Worse, your reviews could be locked on that third party site. Customers are looking to Google, Facebook and Yelp for trusted reviews, not unknown platforms that companies pay for.

We understand your frustration, that’s why at Real Time Reviews we’ve solved this problem by developing a software solution that collects real time reviews and gets the them onto Google and Facebook, along with any website or social media platforms your brand runs. If you have a regular customer who visits your makeup store, simply ask them to give a review. All you have to do is open the Real Time app and put in their name and phone number. Your customer will receive a text that allows them to choose the rating they would like to leave on either Google on Facebook, so they can tell the world your brand has the most long-lasting lipstick out there. The rating will then be instantly loaded, and your company will be notified by text.

Reviews are the first, and sometimes only impression brands get. Boost your credibility and invest in the future of your business with Real Time Reviews.

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