Tips for Effective Reputation Management
Online reviews play a major role in consumer purchasing decisions. From Facebook to Yelp, Google to YellowPages, there are many different online review sites that need to be regularly managed and monitored. Ignoring feedback about your business will not cause it to go away. In fact, it may just be the downfall of your company. It is not only recommended, but necessary, to monitor your company reputation online to ensure that your business remains competitive and successful. Continuous reputation management must be an integral part of your overall marketing plan for your business.
It is much easier to maintain a favorable reputation than repair one that is damaged. Follow these tips to keep your business looking good in the eyes of the customer:
- Respond to all online reviews: The good and the bad.
No matter how well you run your business, surely you will at some point in time receive constructive criticism, or will receive negative comments from an unhappy customer. Think of this as an opportunity to show off your exceptional poise and customer services skills. Let the customer know that you would be happy for the opportunity to make it right, and ask them if you may follow up with them privately to resolve whatever the issue may be.
- If you are able to repair a damaging review from a customer, ask them if they are willing to update their review.
If you are left a negative review and are able to salvage the relationship, ask the customer if they will consider updating their negative review. They may either update their original review to a positive review, or maybe they will simply delete the negative review. Star rating is the #1 factor used by consumers to judge a business, and asking your customer to help reverse their negative review can make a big difference for your overall reputation online.
- Respond in a timely fashion: the sooner, the better.
Make sure you commit to responding to all new reviews, and don’t wait too long! At minimum, check once a week for any new reviews that you can respond to. This small effort can make a huge difference of opinion about your company with prospective customers who will see how engaged and responsive you are with your existing customers. If you think it’s not worth your while to keep up with responding to reviews, or that prospective customers probably won’t see your response, think again, because 88% of consumers read up to 10 reviews to form an opinion (Vendasta.com). The truth is, you can help control what they find when they research you online.
- Ask happy customers to leave a review for you online!
This is one of the most simple ways to build a positive online reputation, and it is often one of the most under-utilized. Make it easy for your customers to leave reviews for you in the right places, such as on Google or your company Facebook page. One of the best ways to do this is through automation, where you can automatically send them a link through text or email that you lead them to the exact place where you want their positive review to be posted.
Top Marketing Agency is a marketing leader with extensive experience in establishing and implementing effective reputation management techniques for businesses of all sizes and in all industries. Call us today at (888)843-9840 to schedule a consultation or to demo our reputation management software, Top Review Tracking. We’ll extend you a free 30-day trial!
