Corporate Alt Girl

Social media reviews have revolutionized the business landscape, reshaping how companies operate and interact with their customers. This transformation is rooted in the shift of power from businesses to consumers, largely due to the widespread accessibility and influence of online platforms. However, the rise of social media reviews has also taken a negative shift. Once a valuable tool, has now made social media reviews not so valuable. We talk so often of the great things reviews can do, but in this post, I’d like to also highlight the negative effects that reviews have on businesses.

Empowered Consumers

In the pre-social media era, customer feedback was limited to direct interactions, traditional media, and surveys. Now, social media platforms empower consumers to publicly share their experiences, opinions, and reviews with a global audience. This shift has placed a greater emphasis on customer satisfaction and experience, as negative reviews can significantly impact a business’s reputation and sales. Trustpilot is what I will be referencing in the reviews, however, I want to acknowledge that there is no scarcity of review sites with the likes of Yelp, Google, BBB, Facebook, and so on.

Transparency and Trust

Social media reviews introduced a new level of transparency in business operations. Customers often trust peer reviews more than advertisements, seeing them as unbiased and genuine. This trust has compelled businesses to be more accountable, focusing on delivering quality products and services to maintain a positive online presence. Over the years, this has shifted however. Consumers increasingly raise demands and will use negative reviews to get their ways or to simply vent. As a CX Manager for over 5 years, it’s become common to hear “if you don’t give me (insert demand here), I will leave you a 1 star review on everything that I can. And I’ll post all about it on Facebook/Twitter.” Contrastly, I’ve heard several people say that they no longer trust reviews because companies will offer rewards for a 5 star review. These two ends have made social media reviews not so valuable anymore.

Real-Time Feedback

The real-time nature of social media allows businesses to receive instant feedback. This immediacy can be a double-edged sword: while positive reviews can boost sales overnight, negative feedback can spread rapidly, demanding swift response and action from the business. In comparison, recent years have pushed for companies to “do better.” All it takes is one negative review to go viral online and there will be a sea of comments demanding for companies to “do better.” Although there are negative experiences that occur, these same commenters seem to have forgotten that companies have certain policies in place for a reason and the demands they are making may not align with company policy. Lastly, a consumer should use their better judgment to discern if the OP is fully telling the truth in their videos/posts because as we all should know – not everything on the Internet is real or honest.

Influencer Impact

Influencers on social media can sway public opinion about a product or service. Their reviews can reach millions, making them a powerful marketing tool. Businesses are increasingly collaborating with influencers to expand their reach and credibility. We’ve seen this first hand as brands organize trips and conventions for youtubers and tiktokers alike. An example of this is Tarte Cosmetics who flew out influencers to Dubai in 2023 for their collaboration. While this has worked for many years in the Beauty & Lifestyle community, 2023 brought a different view of many seeing these trips as wasteful and out of touch. As a result, these influencer reviews have also increased cancel culture. One mistake that the public does not like from an influencer and here comes the sea of negative, hateful comments, and of course “canceling” them.

Data-Driven Strategies

Social media reviews provide businesses with valuable data about customer preferences and market trends. Analyzing this feedback helps companies to tailor their offerings and marketing strategies more effectively, leading to better product development and targeted campaigns. But again, with companies rewarding consumers for their 5 star reviews, it is difficult to truly improve your business if the data is not accurate. It’s irritating to see businesses boasting “top satisfaction” when they send out cards with their packages offering a gift card or discounts when you leave a 5 star review. Or even servers and sales people hovering over your shoulder and asking you to write a review before you leave. These seemingly harmless practices lead to skewed data, harm their sustainability, and make social media reviews not so valuable anymore.

Conclusion: Social Media Reviews are not so Valuable.

The impact of social media reviews on business is profound and multifaceted. It has democratized customer feedback, introduced transparency, and necessitated a more customer-centric approach in business operations. As social media continues to evolve, its influence on business strategies and consumer behavior will undoubtedly grow, making it an indispensable element of the modern business landscape. In my opinion, we’ve put too much emphasis on reviews are they don’t hold so much value anymore. I think reviews are a two way street, where businesses should be giving great customer service and delivering quality products — but it is equally important for reviews to be fair, logical, and unbiased in our reviews. Companies will continue to push those 5 stars as it increases organic traffic – but that’s a conversation for another day! What are your thoughts on social media reviews and influencers in 2023? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.