5 Tips for Using Reviews to Boost Your Business
According to a recent survey, 91% of people regularly or occasionally read online reviews, and 84% trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation from a friend. There’s no doubt that reviews are having a moment.
The challenge comes when you learn that it can take as many as 20 good reviews to overcome a single bad one. Little wonder, then, that many companies try to focus on encouraging unhappy customers to remove their bad reviews, while generally neglecting the good ones, save for a short thank you message. This may, however, be short-sighted as using reviews correctly, can change the entire good vs bad formula, strengthen your company, improve sales and improve your bottom line. Here are our tips for maximising those good reviews.
- Maximise your visibility onlineGone are the days when search engine optimisation (SEO) was purely about the words on your website. Google is now working tirelessly to ensure that good companies with great customer service are more visible online. Customer reviews can be used in your online content to add credibility and “expertise” and therefore improve the way Google views your content. But reviews can’t simply be shoe-horned into your site – they must be incorporated in a way that’s justifiable and organic.
Remember, you can no longer simply write your own reviews as Google tracks which reviews are left when and by whom. Real people leaving reviews in a believable way boost rankings – but fake ones hurt them.
- Boost your conversion ratesConversion rates are probably the single most important stat for an online business and your reviews can be used to make a significant impact. Research conducted by the Medill Spiegel Research Center has revealed that displaying reviews across your website has the potential to boost conversions by as much as 270%. Because of the weight users give to the views of others, simply seeing a good review boosts credibility and trust and encourages users to take the next step.
- Don’t hide bad reviews, use them to boost trustEarlier we spoke about how many companies try to remove their bad reviews. This is not necessary. Everyone’s going to get a bad review from time to time, and your customers know this. Leaving your bad reviews up – along with your clear responses to try and fix the issues – has actually been shown to boost customer confidence. People like to know that if something goes wrong, you’ll do whatever you can to fix it. These bad reviews help them to see that far better than if you simply sweep them under the carpet.
- Good reviews can lead to better hiresYour reviews can also be used to attract better staff. A 2024 study by Deloitte showed that 44% of millennials and 49% of Gen Zs consider a company’s values before accepting a job. People want to work for likeable companies. Including a few choice Google reviews on your website can therefore be used to create a more attractive employer brand and therefore lure in more applications, which will help you to find the best-of-the-best.
- Leverage reviews in the real world tooDigital reviews almost never make it out of the digital sphere – and yet they can have just as much impact on paper as they do online. Including reviews in sales documents, pitch decks and press releases has been shown to generate credibility and boost trust. There’s also evidence that including reviews in press releases increases the likelihood they will be published at all.
The bottom line
Your reviews are some of the most valuable tools you can use and finding the money in your budget to maximise them is therefore essential. As your accountants, we can help you to refine your budgets and free up cash to improve all of your marketing efforts.
Your Tax Deadlines for March 2025
- 07 March – PAYE submissions and payments
- 25 March – VAT manual submissions and payments
- 28 March – Excise duty payments
- 31 March – End of the 2023/24 Financial year, VAT electronic submissions and payments, & CIT Provisional Tax payments where applicable.
How to Save Big on Corporate Travel in 2025
“He who buys what he does not need, steals from himself.” (Swedish Proverb)
Many think of corporate travel expenses as being a non-negotiable, and expensive part of doing business. The thing is, it is possible to cut back on travel expenses without cutting out the necessary requirements and little luxuries. Here are our four top tips for saving money on your corporate travel account.
- Plan ahead
Most corporate travel is not an emergency. Whether you need to pitch to new clients in London, attend a conference in Los Angeles or visit a supplier in China, proper planning can save a great deal of money. All travel expenses increase the closer you get to the departure date. Simply looking at the necessary travel for the year ahead, scheduling it in advance and booking comfortably ahead of time will save you a significant amount. Flights are generally at their cheapest between 30 and 60 days before departure.
Taking this one step further, you can also make sure you aren’t travelling during peak times. If you need to visit your clients every second month, make sure your trips don’t coincide with large conferences or entertainment events as these can drive up hotel costs.
For domestic travel it makes sense to try and fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, as flights are generally cheaper than on other days. Early morning or early afternoon flights (before 3 PM) are not only cheaper, but also tend to have fewer delays and cancellations – which means there’s less chance of additional accommodation or car hire charges.
- Set up a travel policy
In order to effectively plan ahead and book all that’s needed, you need to implement a company-wide travel policy. This policy should cover all aspects of travel including:
- The booking process for accommodation, flights, transfers, vehicle rentals and everything else.
- Expenses and meal allowances.
- The approval and reimbursement process.
Making sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to travel means there are no unnecessary or unexpected expenses. As your accountants, we can help you to construct a travel policy that aligns with your budget and cash flow.
- Be as loyal as possible
Hotels and airlines offer loyalty programs that reward their most frequent travellers with perks like airport lounges and dining discounts, but they also offer important benefits for the business. Airline loyalty members often get to cancel their bookings or change dates at a reduced fee, and the frequent flyer miles and rewards can add up to other free travel benefits. Hotels are much more forgiving on loyalty members when it comes to late and early check-ins and room upgrades. And they typically offer a guaranteed discount on their room rates.
- Use an agent
Travel agents are basically a free (or at least very cheap) service for the people who use them. Often the prices are the same whether you book yourself or do it through an agency because the agent commissions are already built into the prices of the rooms, flights and car rentals. Booking with an agent can save your HR, receptionist or PA valuable hours that could be put into something more productive.
Agents are already experts so paying them a small service fee (if required) to keep them on your books will allow them to search further for the best possible prices and benefits using their back-end travel systems. This may not save you money on flights as the airlines are generally pretty transparent, but it can make a big difference on insurance, car rental and accommodation. Agents are also much more likely to be able to wangle last-minute refunds or changes.
If your company is really big (or if you and your staff travel a lot) it may make sense to allow a corporate travel specialist to manage all of your travel requirements.
Bon voyage!
Corporate travel can be a very good investment – but there’s no reason to pay more than you should. Speak to us if you want any help trimming your business travel costs.
