Do you know the first thing 97% of people do once they hear about your business?
They type it into Google and pay close attention to what others are saying about your business. You could be one of the best businesses in your area; one bad review can have potential customers running for the hills. Interestingly, at times competitors leave false, negative reviews on sites such as Yelp in order to “eliminate the competition”. This seems surprising; but it happens, even in small towns like Park City.
The reputation you worked so hard to develop can be tainted with a few taps of the keyboard. Let’s take a dive into techniques you can use to wipe or reduce the impact of negative online reviews.
Respond in a professional manner
A majority of review sites make it borderline impossible to get a negative review deleted. You can restore the public’s perception of your business by responding in a professional and courteous manner.
In order to illustrate this point, let’s take a look at the right and wrong way to reply once your business receives a negative review.
“How dare you talk about something you know nothing about. I have worked so hard to get to where I am. Burn in hell. You are a big liar and there is no way our service was that bad. Never step foot in my shop again!” – Wrong way
“We are very surprised that you had such an experience. Our other customers hav nothing but good things to say about us. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. It will be passed on to the relevant people so that we can investigate further. We strive to provide the best experience for all customers.”
-Right way
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Get in touch with the review site
As previously stated, negative reviews can be left by competitors. Top review sites such as Yelp have been known to remove a negative review if you can show that it was left illegitimately. This can take a significant period of time because documents have to be sent and checked. This can take weeks or months.
Encourage customers to leave positive reviews
You can “bury” a negative review by having positive reviews posted. Ask happy customers whether they won’t mind leaving an honest review. It takes such a short duration of time that most are likely to comply. If done on a consistent basis, it can make any negative reviews look unrepresentative of your business.
If you are active on social media, encourage followers to leave a quick review. Direct them to specific review sites.
Contact the reviewer
If negative reviewers are known to you, it is worth getting in touch with them in order to politely discuss why they had a bad experience and what you can do to make it better. You might uncover concerns which will help your business in the longterm.
Some people exaggerate experiences when they are angry; therefore, reviews can seem outrageous and far from the truth. Take reasonable measures to have them delete the review. A few negative reviews can cause you to miss ut on a big business opportunity.
Create a content piece to highlight customer testimonials
You can take control of your reputation by creating a blog post which highlights what people think of your business. This allows you to gain some control of how your business is perceived online. Moreover, it is a good wy of marketing to people who are on the fence about buying from you. Testimonials are one of the most powerful ways to make people feel comfortable buying from you.
In conclusion, you need to watch the reputation of you business like a hawk. Schedule checks every 2 weeks in order to reduce the impact negative reviews might have on your business. A few sentences posted online can place a big dent in profits. Use the techniques above to help manage online reviews.
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