We have all done it before. Googled or searched a company online before utilizing their services or buying their products. How many times has a bad review/user experience changed your mind in making a purchase?
As we all know, businesses face high stakes when it comes to their online reputation.
The most popular review websites are Yelp and Angie’s List. And people are using them. The statistics are astounding- Yelp receives over 84 million visitors a month. One Harvard study found that a one-star increase in a restaurants reviews on Yelp led to a 5-9% growth in revenue (the study was conducted on restaurants in Seattle). Whilst you may not own a restaurant, you get the point. People pay attention to other users experiences and use their feedback to make purchasing decisions.
Now that we know why Online Reputation Management is important, how can we effectively improve the chances that customers will BUY/SUBSRCIBE after reading reviews on your company? Here are 5 Ways You Can Work On Your Online Reputation:
1) Reputation management starts from the INSIDE.
The key is to prevent customers from writing bad reviews about you in the first place! Practice good customer service. Engage with your market, if possible (especially in service based industries). Don’t misrepresent your product if selling online to garner more sales. Be truthful. Usually, you will know when a customer is not satisfied with your product or service before they write a view. Try to seize this critical opportunity and rectify the issue.
2) If a customer has already posted a negative review, then what?
Don’t get emotional or mad! Try and respond privately in a respectful manner. Remember, the goal is to get them to understand you want to remedy the situation and address their complaint-not fire back or start a shouting match.
3) Feedback/Review remains the same, Now What?
If you have resolved the issue with the reviewer (perhaps you sent them a replacement product or invited them back to your restaurant/spa for a complimentary “re-do” of their experience, than you may want to simply post back publicly that you are happy you were able to rectify the situation and work things out with the reviewer. You need to maintain the high road and maybe highlight a couple of the steps you took to rectify the situation and how you will prevent it from occurring in the future.
If the customer remains unsatisfied, and you believe their review was not an accurate representation of what actually occurred during their transaction, you can offer a short response that lightly touches the actual facts but does not flat out call the customer a liar or that they are misrepresenting something.
4) Encourage customers to post reviews on your business.
How good does it feel when you get a referral? Whether you own a grooming salon and one of your client’s neighbors walk in with their pooch or you have a CPA firm and get a referral for you to help a client’s brother with his taxes, we know the greatest compliment is when a satisfied customer/client tells someone else about how your business impacted their lives. Online reviews are a great way for customers/clients to “refer” other people to you. There is nothing wrong with asking your consumer base to review you online. If you are truly doing a good job, it is likely they will take the time to write that review. You can also email your clients with a link to your Yelp/Angie’s List pages. It won’t hurt to also ask them to add you to their social media profiles (more on that later). Good reviews will often offset bad ones, so it is great to have many featured on your business. People are more apt to write about a bad experience than a good one, which makes getting a lot of good reviews from your customers/clients imperative to maintaining a positive feedback score.
5) Hire a Reputable Online Marketing Agency to Manage Your Online Reputation
We know that business owners are busy and simply don’t have the time-or expertise-to effectively manage their online reputation. Whilst these above tips are great places to start, there are many other detailed ways to make a positive impact on how your business is being viewed online. That is where bringing in the experts can be a very smart investment in your online marketing campaign. Here at Eoptimized.com, our trained professionals can help you create a positive online reputation and show you ways to offset any negative assets online about your company. Our campaigns provide you with the tools you need in order to manage the content on your online branding space. Whether we’re talking about social media, online review sites, public forums, and blog posts comments etc., your online reputation is a very important aspect of your business. Call us today for a detailed analysis on how we can put together this campaign!
