If not, you should.
I’m going to try to convince you of some of the reasons why you should do product reviews on your website or blog.
First of all, the Internet is a great place for anyone to get information on just about anything. In particular, women in their 20s- 50s. And if you read this post (and got the free report) about marketing to moms, you know that this demographic is the most powerful, spending wise.
Useful quote:
“Of the nearly 1,000 moms surveyed, 89 percent use the internet at least twice per day, and 90 percent have been using it for more than seven years,” said Stuart Larkins, vice-president of search for DoubleClick Performics. “A whopping 86 percent of respondents said search engines are the most efficient way to find information.”
Source: Moms are super web surfers
And these smart shoppers go online to research products before buying.
Product reviews are highly sought after online. Whether a shopper is looking for information to use in buying offline or wants to make their purchase online, a product review can tell her what she needs to know. Sites that exclusively feature product reviews get lots and lots of traffic (think epinions.com!).
But can product reviews benefit you, an online marketer?
If you run a blog or, product reviews make for great content. They tend to attract lots of traffic, and that traffic can lead to profits. Product reviews get you ranked for some of those very specific, “long tail” keyword phrases.
If someone finds your site after searching for the phrase “Fiskars garden bucket caddy“, you think they will take some action once they get there? It’s pretty likely, yes. Maybe they’ll read the review and click on your affiliate link to purchase it. Maybe they’ll click on a Google AdSense ad. At the very least they’ll be impressed that your site met their needs, and are likely to stick around long enough to sign up for your newsletter, RSS feed or what have you.
In order to get the most out of product reviews, it’s important to have a niche and stick with it. This will ensure that the traffic that comes to your site is targeted. Even if your niche is fairly wide, such as “moms”, that will still make your marketing efforts easier and more effective. You probably don’t have the time or money to market yourself as the be all/end all of product review websites.
Once they’re on your site, you could make money by using affiliate links in the product reviews.
In fact this is one of the easiest, most effective ways to get your feet wet with affiliate marketing. Go around your home and make a list of all the products you use, hate, love, have an opinion about. And make it your aim to start reviewing these products on your blog or website.
If you can become an affiliate for the product you’re reviewing, that’s great. Almost anything in your home you can find on Amazon.com. Their affiliate program doesn’t pay the best commissions in the world, but it does convert well.
Be sure to give an honest opinion – this is especially true if you will gain from a sale.
This will help you gain the trust of your audience, and trust is essential in getting sales, even if they are through affiliate links.
Product reviews can have additional benefits. For instance, consider what happened to me when I posted a review of these all natural stuffed pretzels I purchased recently (and loved!).
The very next day the owners of the company emailed me to thank me for my nice review. They sent me two coupons for free boxes (worth $5 each) and they posted my review on their blog along with a link to my site in the sidebar.
Doing product reviews can make not just customers happy but also the product creator!
Product reviews are great for marketing. They provide useful information to the reader, bring targeted traffic to the website, and give the product and business exposure.
It’s a winning situation for everyone involved. 
You can learn more about doing product reviews to earn money as an affiliate here: Affiliate Marketing Sweetie
Hi Carrie,
Great post about doing reviews. I liked your story about the stuffed pretzel perks.
I feel that doing product reviews in some of my niches is doing my readers a service. Your suggestion of going around the home and reviewing products that you’ve purchased is a great idea. If I’ve tried out a product and find great value in it, I really should let my readers, mostly women, know about it. These product reviews come across as more helpful than pushy salesy.
In one of my niches I get sent cookbooks to review. That’s my wonderful perk.
Thanks,
Peggy