Let’s go over whether or not you should buy reviews
So, should you buy reviews? That depends on what your goals are. If you want to attract more attention and increase sales, then buying fake reviews is a method that may seem like it can help you achieve that goal. However, if your company’s main goal is to provide a high-quality product or service and maintain good relations with your customers, then buying fake reviews will actually be detrimental to your business.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of buying reviews for your business.
What does it mean to buy reviews?
So what does it mean to buy reviews?
Buying reviews can mean paying people to write reviews. This is a practice that’s against Amazon’s policy, and if you do it, they’ll ban you. Buying reviews can also mean writing your own reviews. If you’re thinking of doing this, keep in mind that it’s also against Amazon’s policy and if you get caught, your account will be banned. So what should you do?
In short: don’t buy your own books. Buying the books yourself doesn’t encourage the market for them to exist (since your friends aren’t buying them).
Are buying reviews bad?
There are many reasons why fake reviews are a bad idea:
- They don’t actually benefit your business. Fake reviews do not help you know what aspects of your products or services need improvement. Without real feedback, you could be wasting time on the wrong fixes, missing out on the chance to improve where it really matters.
- Fake reviews are a waste of money. Buying fake reviews is an extra cost for your business with little to no return on investment (ROI). You could be spending that money to improve your product or service quality in ways that will actually make customers happy and increase sales as a result—instead of losing it all on fake praise that won’t give you any real data to work with.
- There’s serious risk involved. When you buy fake reviews, you put yourself in danger of being discovered and exposed as dishonest by other potential customers who may not want to do business with someone they can’t trust or consider immoral. There have been many cases where businesses lost money (and sometimes their entire company) due to consumers revealing their use of review manipulation services and bringing unwanted attention from authoritative bodies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or Amazon’s satisfaction guarantee program, A-to-z Guarantee.
What happens if you buy reviews?
The short answer is no. It may seem like the right thing to do at the time, but it is ultimately not worth it. If you get caught buying reviews, there are several possible repercussions. Because buying reviews can be considered fraud, you could face legal action or even jail time. You will also likely lose your customers’ trust and the business that comes with it; if your reputation gets destroyed by this, your business will pretty much be over.
There are several instances of businesses that have been ruined after being caught buying reviews. One notable example is DecorMyEyes, a sunglasses company owned by Vitaly Borker of New York City. In 2010, he was ordered to pay nearly $300k in fines for deceiving customers by using fake ratings and reviews on his company’s website (source: FTC).
Will buying reviews help my business?
First things first, buying positive reviews is not a long-term solution. When it comes to building your online reputation, you’ll need more than a handful of positive reviews to establish yourself as a trustworthy business. If you don’t have the time or resources to generate quality content and build a loyal client base that leads to authentic reviews, then perhaps it’s time to consider outsourcing your marketing efforts entirely. You don’t want to invest money in something that will give you short-term results only to end up with negative consequences.
Secondly, you need to think about why people aren’t leaving reviews for your business. If there’s no incentive for them, then you may want to add one–like offering 5% off their next purchase if they leave a review (for example). This will send the message that buying reviews isn’t fixing the root of the problem: lack of motivation for customers who are satisfied with your services or product. Incentivizing them by offering coupons or discounts is one way of doing this, but ultimately this comes down to good customer service and leaving an impression on your customers so they WANT–not NEED–to leave you a review online.
Lastly (and most importantly), buying fake reviews can result in serious consequences down the line, and these consequences can easily outweigh any perceived benefits of boosting your numbers artificially. First off, anyone who spots fake reviews on your site may become disinterested in doing business with you altogether; they might feel as though their opinion matters less than those paid shills whose purpose was simply getting more clicks on some website’s link.”
Businesses should focus on how to create a good product that people want, not tricking people into liking the product.
It’s smarter to focus on the following:
- Creating a good product or service that people actually want. While buying reviews can be a quick way to make your business look good, it doesn’t actually create a quality product or service. Sooner or later, customers will learn that the information they received about your business was inaccurate. This can cause customers to feel betrayed and will lead to them losing trust in your company.
- Creating a good experience for your customers through genuine interactions. If you want real, positive reviews from real customers, then you must provide an authentic customer experience. For example, if you own an ice cream shop, then you should focus on getting the best ingredients instead of buying fake reviews from people who have never tried your ice cream before. Also, when customers interact with employees at your store or restaurant, employees should spend time there engaging with them rather than being focused on buying fake reviews online.
- Get better at marketing your product without tricking people into liking it. Purchasing fake reviews is one way of marketing and advertising—but not necessarily the best method if you want repeat customers and genuine brand loyalty over time (which involves creating value beyond price). Instead of focusing all their energy on trying to manipulate people into liking their products (buying fake reviews), businesses should focus on creating great products that consumers would organically like without having to be tricked into it by purchasing fake reviews online!