Customer reviews – we at Buzzillions have been doing this stuff for more than three years. Wait … correction, it’s what Buzzillions users like you have been doing! We merely organized them.

With the growing number of online venues specializing in user generated content, reviews have become something of a marketer’s dream come true. Happy customers, kind words, credible sources, singing the praises of a great product or experience, all in the bright puffy space we call the cloud… That is until – *gasp* – someone has something less than nice to say about a product or customer experience.

It’s this point where marketers get shifty eyed and begin to shuffle their feet, wondering how they can ‘damage control’ the situation. And there are many stories floating around, ranging from fake reviews to sneaky deals, in efforts to stifle the voice of negative reviews. But is this really effective? Is this to the best interest of any party, be they customers or brands?

To both these questions, I say no.

First, there is no perfect product. Customers understand this, and businesses must accept this too. Product reviews give customers the ability to know what can go wrong with a product before buying, and often save people a lot of headache due to a bad product. Businesses benefit too, reviews are one of the few channels for accurate customer feedback on how products can be made better. Besides, how else are you going to get free feedback?

Second, reviews – negative or positive reviews – open a context for dialogue between brands and the people who use them. This is a powerful concept. No matter how customers feel about a brand, the ability for companies to communicate directly with customers is truly a marketer’s dream come true. Here’s an example of a business owner, Mowhawk Matt, who is spot on about this concept. Kudos to you Matt!

If you represent a brand or product, the best way to utilize this opportunity is by starting a Buzzillions account, and responding to people already talking about your product.

Finally, people read reviews because reviews can be trusted. No one is being paid to go on Buzzillions and write reviews. Each of our 11 million plus reviews was written by a real person. If websites start acting like Orwellian memory holes, conveniently blanking out anything negative, customers will start giving them as much credo as those flashing banner ads saying you’re a website’s millionth visitor – none at all.

Of course there are situations that do warrant alteration of review content. Usually these examples involve nasty words, indecency, or plain old spam. What do you think – are we on to something here? Are there uses for reviews that I’ve totally missed? I’m sure there are… Do you think Buzzillions can be made a better place for customers and brands to interact? I’d love it if you leave questions or ideas in the comments section. Give us some reviews!

You can also reach me direct at feedback@buzzillions.com

Happy reviews!