Diana Ransom wrote a good article in the Wall Street Journal “As Online Reviewers Grow, Businesses are Listening” about the rise of consumer reviews and their impact on local purchase decisions.

According to Comscore 4 out of 10 people now use the Internet to research products and companies online before they make a purchase offline. The bottom line is that small businesses in every part of the country need to be acutely aware of how they service all of their customers all of the time. Today’s consumers are increasing making decisions based on what your customers are saying often without your knowledge or participation. This can be a very cost effective marketing strategy for small businesses because consumer reviews attract local customers who are ready to buy and value competent service.

Consumer ratings and reviews are not just for businesses in urban areas but they are quickly becoming as ubiquitous as the Internet itself. Every business needs to be aware of what their customers are saying online. At minimum you should set up a Google alert for your business name and perform routine searches on your business name.