Modern consumers make an increasing number of their purchase decisions while browsing online. Whether they’re looking for a trustworthy plumber or a new pair of shoes, consumers will head to their laptops or mobile devices to look for the right business to fulfill their needs. One factor that weighs heavily into their purchase decisions is online reviews. If potential customers see your business pop up in search results only to find that you have several bad reviews from previous customers, they’re likely to move on to one of your competitors. Unfortunately, bad reviews happen. However, there are ways to reduce their impact and help recover your online reputation. Here’s what you need to know.
Your Business May Have Bad Reviews you Don’t Even Know About.
You may monitor Google or Facebook for customer reviews, but there are many other places where customers may voice their opinions of your business. Third party review sites may host bad reviews of your business that you don’t even know about. A reputation report card from a digital marketing specialist like Leverage Marketing can help you discover these reviews and take appropriate action to manage them.
The Impact of a Bad Reviews Can be Curbed with a Response From the Business Owner.
Every business might have a bad day or a grumpy customer. If those interactions end with negative online reviews, leaving a thoughtful, apologetic response can go a long way. When you do reply to negative reviews, don’t get combative. Simply apologize for the bad experience and offer an email address or phone number where the customer can follow up to make things right. Potential customers will see this as a sign that you care about their experience and are willing to make things right if something isn’t meeting their expectations.
Having a Higher Volume of Reviews will Lessen the Blow of a Single bad Review.
A single bad review can have a strong impact when you only have a handful of reviews for your business. So, encouraging happy customers to leave reviews of your business is a great strategy for minimizing the visibility and impact on your star rating that any negative reviews have.
Leverage Marketing can help you boost your online reputation and reduce the effect of negative reviews that currently exist on Google, Facebook, and other popular review sites. Contact us today to get started with our Review Management program that can boost the number of reviews your business has, alert you when new reviews are posted, and show you reviews you may not even know you have!
