Nielsen ratings and the reliance of word of mouth marketing – In a study to determine which forms of advertising consumers trusted the most, The Nielson Company’s April 2009 survey results showed that “90% of their respondents trusted completely or somewhat recommendations from people they know”, 70% trusted consumer opinions posted online and 70% trusted brand websites…

See the full blog post here: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/global-advertising-consumers-trust-real-friends-and-virtual-strangers-the-most/

We haven’t really tapped into the online reviews market yet. Myself and others here now the importance and impact a customer testimonial can have on a customers buying decision. Unfortunately, what’s on our website isn’t necessarily viewed by everyone else on the web. The first thing I do when I want to learn about a product is Google it, what do you do?

Enter Google and their Product Search tool:

When it comes to being found on Google, coming up on the first page is just one of the battles – there’s price, availability, taxes, shipping costs and SELLER RATINGS. With Google Product Search, consumers not only compare the same item by price, but also can see seller ratings. Its like using UrbanSpoon reviews before you decide on which Sushi restaurant you’re gonna hit. Have a look at the image attachment to see how we stack up against our competition in Product Search for the FLIR E30bx…