How Customer Reviews Affect the Buying Cycle For Alarm Companies

What is the process by which consumers read your online reviews? A Harvard Business School study identified three stages in the buying cycle that are relevant to finding and reading online reviews. These are very relevant to alarm companies, so keep reading!

The Discovery Phase

At the beginning of the buying cycle, a consumer will conduct what is called a “non-branded search” – meaning, they will enter a search term that identifies the industry, product or service they are looking for, perhaps including a geographical location, without naming a specific brand.

This will lead them to a search engine results page that features numerous brands, some of them connected to review portals. So in the case of an electronic security company in New York City, he may search for “home security NYC” or “alarm systems New York.” These are just general examples.

The Research Phase

Often, the brands with reviews attached to them are the first results the consumer will click on. This is how having reviews can help you make the cut when a consumer narrows his options down to one or two choices.

After checking out your star rating and reading your reviews on Google, he may then conduct a “branded search,” which involves typing your company name and reading your reviews on Yelp or another portal. If he reads more positive reviews, he will be more likely to make a decision to be your customer (and vice versa).

The Decision Phase

As the buying cycle winds down, the consumer is making one last check to verify that the reviews he has read are trustworthy. He knows that some people are “professional Yelpers,” and may not be trustworthy sources. He trusts Yelp, but wants that final confirmation that the reviews he read there are an accurate reflection of customer satisfaction.

So from there, he goes to your Facebook page. He knows that is a good place to find reviews from people who are current customers, and find out whether they are satisfied. On the right hand of your page, he immediately looks for your star rating; the closer it is to 5, the more likely he is to proceed. If he sees that the first two to three reviews are positive, then at that point, he is very likely to make the decision to buy.

How to Get Customer Reviews

These are the three phases of the buying cycle that most apply to your online reviews. You can make them work in your favor by proactively seeking out positive reviews from your satisfied customers. We can help. Book a demo today.

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We create websites and media for the electronic security industry that communicate your story, resonate with your audience, and generate revenue. Since 2009, brands that you know and trust have leveraged our digital marketing expertise to grow their businesses, including SDM 100, SDI Fast 50, monitoring centers, technology providers, professional corporations, and security SMB’s across the USA.