Software companies, as well as marketing agencies that work with them, face a tricky problem with review sites. While these sites can be a valuable resource for people who are researching SaaS platforms and features, they’re also becoming increasingly pay-to-play. For site users, that means less transparency into why companies rank where they do. And for the companies themselves, that means if you’re not willing to pay, you’re probably not going to rank high enough to be discovered.
Should a review site PPC be in your SaaS company’s marketing budget? As with most things in the pay-per-click marketing world: it depends. Below, we’ll go over some of the pros and cons of paying for leads on review sites so that you can make the decision that’s best for your budget and your long-term goals.
Pro: Review Site Leads are Key in the Age of Informed Consumerism
Today’s consumers want to know as much information as possible about a product before they invest. This is largely because software purchases are occurring without direct human interaction. And the less you can speak to your product yourself, the more you have to rely on other sources to tout what makes you so great.
Review sites are among the most popular SaaS trends to have emerged in the last decade and serve a key purpose in moving potential customers through all stages of the sales cycle. Also, they can make the difference between someone discovering (and purchasing) your product and never hearing about you. Two-thirds of software buyers say that product reviews significantly impact their purchasing decisions(opens in new tab), with only 2% saying they have no impact at all.
Con: They’re Misleading to Users
If you get an icky feeling when you think about paying for a spot on review sites, you’re certainly not alone. As a general rule, you’re not going to see most sites offering transparency to their users about why certain software platforms made the list and why certain ones didn’t.
Nor are they transparent about the order of the rankings. And while it’s not necessarily unheard of in the review world to require payment for exposure, it’s not something that a lot of consumers are aware of – and when they find out, it does tend to mar their perception of the information they’re getting.
Consider Yelp, a popular review site for commercial businesses that was once the go-to spot for people looking for a good restaurant or hairdresser. While the site is still pretty popular, it’s lost a lot of consumer trust since news of its pay-to-play practices came to light (opens in new tab)(opens in new tab).
Today, it’s pretty much common wisdom that businesses have to pay up if they want the advertorial benefits of the site, which makes more reliable peer-to-peer consumer review sites like Google Reviews and Facebook a preferred choice for many people.
Pro: It Helps to Diversify Your Reviews
A strong marketing strategy for a Postalytics(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)(opens in new tab) SaaS company includes earning reviews on as many sites as possible. That’s because 64% of software buyers want to read at least six reviews before making a purchase. If you’re only showing up on one or two sites, your platform might get overshadowed by one that shows up more often.
A concerted effort then to appear on review sites – even if it requires paying to get there – makes sense. Reviews are crucial in the software buying process(opens in new tab), and there’s value in optimizing your presence on review sites. The fact that that so often requires payment might just be the downside to an otherwise sound marketing strategy.
Con: Review Sites Aren’t the Only Way to Get Your Name Out There
If you’re doing everything else right, you may be able to get away with opting out of the review site game. Because while reviews are notably important, they’re not the only way to get your name in front of buyers.
You may find that the marketing success you achieve through other channels fills the gaps left by not being on review sites. After all, the less money you spend on getting your platform ranked on review sites, the more money you have to put toward other marketing efforts(opens in new tab).
Ultimately, it’s up to your marketing team to decide whether advertising on review sites aligns with your values and budget. Weigh the pros and cons discussed above, and consider the performance of your other marketing channels.
If brand awareness(opens in new tab) and sales are strong without an active presence on review sites, then you might be just fine taking a stand against the pay-to-play practice. And if you do think that paying for review exposure is worth it, be sure to do your research so you allocate funds only to the sites that are most likely to make the greatest impact on your business.
