(NAPSA)—Getting the right soft- Software buyers view third-party sites as more independentwith nothing to gain ware for your companydoesn’t have to behard if you heedthe recentresearch. from cherry-pickingpositive reviews over reviews with negative feedback or Forinstance, a majoronline resource for business software buyers has found. that reviewsare vital to software ven- Jow ratings. + Detailed information aboutreviewersis dors seeking growth in the small and necessary to confirmtheir trustworthi- ness: Descriptive information provided midsize business market. The research was doneby Capterra, the marketleaderfor mostverified reviewsavailable to alongthe purchasing decision journey software purchasing decision makers. It is another wayto establish credibility in reviews. It doesn’t mean requesting reviews, and network security software from reviewers, butit does mean asking for detailed information concerning a reviewer's experience with the product. Whenit comesto evaluating softrevealed that marketing-related software ware, buyers like to know whatonsaw a 591 percent increasein published e reviewershave to say. experienced a 463 percent increase— validating that marketing tools and security platforms are key priorities for small-business growth. “Our research shows that buyers countonreviewsto help them make informed purchasingdecisions. At Capterra westrive to help buyers make the best decision possible and reaching 500,000 verified reviews on Capterra.com shows our commitment to providing software buyers with a platform they can trust? said Anthony Bradley, Group Vice Pres- ident of Research. “We saw a 50 percent increase in reviews published on the site since 2017, and more reviews were published in the first half of 2018 than in the eight years between 2008 and 2016. ‘Thisvalidates that people now both contribute to andrely on user reviewsas resources to help each other makebetter purchasingdecisions”he added. The top-10 high-growth, trending softwarecategoriesare: + Graphic Design (591 percent growth) + Presentation (533 percent growth) + NetworkSecurity (463 percent growth) + Web Conferencing (410percent growth) + Meeting Platforms(390 percent growth) Issue Tracking (298 percent growth) ITService (295 percent growth) IT Service Management(295 percent ‘The top- 10 review categories are: + Collaboration + Project Management + Task Management + CustomerRelationship Management + Productivity + File Sharing Billing and Invoicing + Time Tracking + Lead Management + Accounting. “Buying andselling trends are constantly ‘The moredetail, the better. + Showcase reviews that discuss specific problems in specific industries: Specific details help prospectsidentify whether a product works forpeoplelike them and businesseslike theirs. Buyers tend to gravitate toward reviewers within their industry whoexperience the sameissues andpain points. They mustillustrate how it works and which problemsit solves, beyond whetherit works wellor not. changing. Vendors also count on reviews + Focus on showcasing recent reviews: explained Bradley. Customer opinions months. Reviewsshould reflect changes and updates, so make regular reviews to gain the trust of potential customers andstand out from the competition,” make the software capabilities“real”for in-marketbuyers.In fact, they bond with the product throughotherreviewers’ ex- periences. The study identified six key takeaways on thevendorvalue ofsoftware userreviews and howto use them in the sales process: + Unbiasedreviewshelp gain the trust ofpotential customers: Because buyers recognize inherent bias from product sales teams,they actively seek unbiased. sourcesto balancetheir software analysis. In-market buyersbelieve that finding the right companyisjustas critical as finding the right software. Reputation. andsustaineddelivery ofquality products andservices matter. + Third-party sites are considered more cred- growth) ible than a business’ ownsite: Customers believe that reviews on mostthird-party percent growth) sites—are morecredible than reviews showcased ona software vendor's site. + Website Builders (291 percent growth) + Objectives and KeyResults (290 namesorother personalinformation sites—meaning, beware of fake reviews ‘Three out of four customers think reviewsare outdatedif older than three acquisition a top priority. + Having all positive reviews hurts more than it helps: Software buyersare actively looking for trustworthinesssignals. If they find only positive reviews,it seems to be too goodto betrue andskepticism ensues. The mosteffective reviews are balancedandcultivated by honest feed- back complete with pros and cons. “Reviewsare no longera luxury or a nice-to-have add-on to brand and product marketing; they’re a competi- tive necessity” said Bradley. The good newsisthatit's nottoo late to get into the reviews game, and businesses can leverage platforms such as Capterra as an outlet for unbiased, trustworthy feedback to empower its users and prospects. Learn More Forfurther facts, see www.capterra. com.
