Just how important are online reviews today? More than you might think. 90% of consumers read online reviews before they visit a business or make a purchase. Even more mind-blowing, 88% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. Essentially, that means that online reviews fall into word-of-mouth marketing, which is still one of the most effective ways to get people to act on a product or place.

The same holds true for your church. With statistics showing that customers are 31% more likely to spend on a business with “excellent” reviews, can you imagine the implications for your congregation?

Where Do Reviews Amass Online?

• Facebook – Facebook is an increasingly popular place to review churches. Users will then read these reviews as they look at your Facebook page and decide whether or not they are going to come through the church doors that weekend. Considering Facebook is the most visited social media site in the world right now, these reviews are pretty important and powerful.
• Yelp – Yelp is known for being a review-based site. It’s generally where people go, specifically, to look at reviews. If you have a public place listing for your church on Yelp, people are free to review it at their leisure.
• Google – Google reviews can be incredibly important for your church. If anyone Googles your church’s name or location, these reviews are going to come up at the top of the search feed. Therefore, people are going to read them immediately, and if they are bad, probably decide not to check out your church.

Naturally, there is a lot of pressure built up around online reviews today. You do not want to accumulate bad reviews, or that can be the end of your establishment. But, if you manage to get some good reviews behind your church, you can ride that momentum indefinitely.

3 Ways to Use Your Testimonials

1. Make Sharables:
There is no shame in making sharables of people’s testimonials! If someone leaves your church a stellar review, you can turn that review into a beautiful image with some fun fonts, color coordination, and your logo in the corner. You can even use the person’s picture as the background image, if they would permit it.

With that sharable, you can then post it to your social media channels and leverage the online review in an entirely new perspective. People will read the testimonial and think to themselves – if this person loves this church THIS much, then I probably will, too?

2. Website Carousels:
Don’t forget about your website! This is a great place to include a carousel or slideshow of your most recent reviews. You can go take them off of social media again and make a slideshow that features dozens of raving reviews, right at the top of the screen, so website visitors can instantly see how valued your congregation is to the church attendees.

3. Post Badges:
Sites like Yelp will award badges and yearly certificates, etc. for companies, churches, and restaurants with stellar reviews. You can take these certifications, frame them, and hang them up in your church, as well as take a picture of them and post it to your social media. It’s just another way for followers to see how loved and popular your church is today.

The Power of Online Reviews

72% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more. We can continue citing statistics that make an infallible case for these online reviews/testimonials that are so cherished by users today.

That’s why it’s so important that you prioritize your customer service, church proceedings, and outreach efforts to keep your church attendees happy. The more reviews you accumulate, the more prospective people are going to consider attending your church when they read them.

Here at Worship Times, we facilitate this arrangement by not only helping you with digital media and management services, but also registering for online review portals and reputation management. We understand the nature of online business today, which is why we’re ready to frame your online reviews in an entirely new light. Drop us a line and let’s get started today!

Lovingly made by Worship Times, Websites for Ministries