Your Reviews: The Life Blood of Commerce

The keystone in the Archway of Commerce is labeled "Talk." A company can spend all the time and money it possesses in amplifying the quality, quantity, appearance and promotion of its products; but unless people are going to talk about the perks of those products the company's still dead in the water. Most people won't spend money based on an advertisement or marketing scheme; they buy based on the counsel of their friends, family and other trusted individuals or groups. Hence, on the commercial end loads of money goes into advertising. Marketers go to all ends trying to come up with jingles, images and emotional impacts that will get people interested in learning about their products, talking about them with their friends and family, purchasing them, and then talking about them some more to generate more purchases and product feedback. That's the big goal. Talk. No matter how astounding the product may be, one truth reigns supreme: Without talk businesses die.

Like an elected official in government, a business or product has no power or influence unless the masses give that power to it. People often wonder how companies such as Wal-Mart, Band-Aid, Kleenex, Google, Xerox and others became so prominent that their names graduated into multifunctional words in our everyday vocabulary. How did it happen? The populous did it through sheer chatter. A vast, open majority talked of the companies' products and services so much and so favorably, making them appear vastly superior to other similar companies, that masses of people followed their advice, bought in (literally), and joined in the chatter themselves.

The most powerful types of chatter are public ones, shared on official websites, posts, tweets, blogs, comments and more. We know them as Reviews. Often given with the visual aid of a "star rating," a review is the chance for consumers to rate and freely comment on products and companies. Shared through the internet, reviews compile into what I consider the most accurate rating system we have. Every review emphasizes different aspects of a product, and when taken together the reviews give us the most insightful look at that product. As the old maxim goes, the more people you include in a decision the more likely it is that your decision will be correct. And when 1500 users have cumulatively rated one product 2.3 out of 5.0 stars while 1300 users have rated another product 4.7, you can feel much safer in deciding where to spend your money.

That's why I like reviews so much and constantly ask everyone for their feedback. General ratings, such as "good," "bad," or the number of stars a product deserves, are only helpful to a shallow point. It's the detailed reviews that are important. Reviews contain the proof behind the rating. They give insights into how the stars were assigned, why they were given, and what might have earned the product more of them. Reviews come from all over too, showing how a product might perform within and without certain parameters.

Many people are afraid to write reviews or feel that it isn't worth the time; but as one who carefully reads and thinks about each review I receive for my books, I have to say, "Make the time, and don't be frightened." Reviews don't have to be eloquent, flowery, or even promotional to be worthwhile. If you like something, say so. If you don't like something, say so. You may disagree with the vast majority, but that's the beauty of it--you have the option to disagree and the option to explain why. If you're writing honestly, no review is wrong and the provider will be grateful. It enables them to see things from a new angle, to see ways in which they might improve their products for the future, while still keeping the doors open for other consumers to buy, test, and review the product. As the adage goes, "bad press is far better than no press."

What are your thoughts about reviews? What do you think about when you review? Whose reviews do you cherish most?