September 2, 2018
Gone are the days where “word-of-mouth” was actually by mouth. News travels much faster in the digital arena and if it’s negative, even quicker.
In fact, a whopping 45% of consumers share their negative experiences over social media channels, while 35% are apt to post an actual review. And why wouldn’t they? It’s literally the fastest way to get your message across to a brand.
Prior to receiving any reviews, you should really have the first say about your business. Therefore, it is crucial that you register and claim all of your appropriate pages on the web. You typically don’t get the chance for a second impression online.
Start with Google my Business so visitors have access to all of your contact information through the search engine. This will also help you rank higher on Google when people attempt to locate your brand. It will also enter your business address into Google Maps, which makes it much easier for people to physically find you.
You also want to make sure you claim your Yelp page and any other review sites that may have already registered your business. The more control you exercise on your own brand image, the better you can manage any negative incidences.
It’s important to consistently monitor the web to ensure you catch bad stuff immediately. Social listening will help to notify you instantly whenever anyone mentions your brand or keywords associated with your business.
From there, it is critical you take immediate action. The longer a bad review or comment sits, the more damage it does. It’s like having a sign in your store that says “warning: last customer unsatisfied.” It’s just not good.
Therefore, it makes sense that you should do everything in your power to get rid of it as soon as possible. Poor reviews on Google can be flagged and disputed and the same goes for Yelp. However, when you have an unhappy customer complaining directly on your social platforms, additional action is required.
The first step is to always apologize. Never become argumentative or difficult. Remember, there are probably hundreds of people watching. Mess-ups happen. Humanity and humility are the keys to smoothing things over. Reassure the customer you hear them, and you will work to immediately rectify the situation.
Fix it before saying anything else. There is no point in communicating further until you tend to the issue at hand. Once it is fixed, you can apologize again. Let the customer know the problem has been resolved and kindly ask for an updated review. Most people are happy to oblige when you have solved their problem efficiently. And the quicker you do it, the more satisfied they will be.
On average, just one positive Yelp review can lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue. One of the best ways to counteract any bad review is to take actions that ensure you will only be receiving good ones. There are several ways in which you can prompt satisfied customers to leave a good review, like:
Just one negative review can cost you 30 customers.
The key here is to be proactive rather than reactive. Time is not of the essence here. Even if you lose a customer, remember, others will be witnessing how you handle it. If you do it with integrity and honesty, it may earn you customers too.
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