Reputation Marketing, so what!!!

Negative online reviews are no fun. Receiving one for your business is like a swift kick to your pride. They can linger in your online directories and search results, and cause potential customers to run for the hills.

(Nielsen says... 70% of customer only trust a business with 6 to 10 reviews.)

However, these reviews can also be used to your advantage – as long as they are surrounded by a plethora of positive feedback. A Harris poll showed that customers actually trust businesses more when they see a few bad apples in the list of reviews. The key is to limit the damage of each review by reassuring readers that your business is actively addressing the problem and improving from the feedback.

One of the most effective ways to reverse the influence of a negative online review is to proactively respond to the reviewer. This must be done in a delicate and professional manner though, as you don’t want to start a feud on the the review thread. Here are the 4 steps you need to take to respond to negative reviews the right way:

1. Claim Your Social Profiles

Before you can start actively responding to negative online reviews, you’ll have to claim the online directory or review site that the complaint was posted on. This usually involves creating an account on the site, completing your profile and verifying your ownership (through a phone call or letter.)

2. Address the Problem Directly

Most people who post a negative review do so for a very specific reason: they want the world to know what went wrong with their experience with your product or service. Your response should always acknowledge this pain point to let the original reviewer (and subsequent readers) know that you understand and empathize with their experience.

Identify the underlying issue and lead with an apology. For example, if a customer complains that they waited two hours to receive their meal at your restaurant, you might begin your response with:

I’m deeply sorry to hear that you had to wait several hours to receive your meal at [Restaurant Name]. This is highly uncharacteristic of our staff, as we pride ourselves on our punctuality.

This empathy adds a human element to your business and helps to mend the wounds of a bad experience.

3. Keep the Response Brief and Polite

The last thing you want to do is appear defensive and immature. The shorter your response is, the less likely it is that you will trigger additional negative feelings. No matter how strongly the negative review makes you feel, you must always be polite in your tone. Don’t accuse the customer of wrong doing or lying; this is the fastest way to defeat your attempt to fix the issue. A few sentences should be sufficient for most of your responses.

4. Take the Conversation Offline

You never want to spark a back-and-forth argument online, especially with someone that is passionate about their point of view. A more effective approach is to drive the conversation offline and towards a personal phone call with a manager in the company. Include the manager’s name and direct phone line, offering to listen to the complaint more in-depth and arrive at a resolution. This proves that you truly are looking to fix the problem, and not just trying to save face online.

A Real Example

Following the four guidelines above, here is an excellent example of a local business’s response to a negative review:

Response from owner - 2 months ago

Hi xxxxxx.  We are sorry to hear your were not fully satisfied with your experience in purchasing your used car. We always try to ensure our vehicles are in the very best condition but unfortunately it sounds like this specific used car was missing some of the additional items. We always try our best to get these items to you in a timely manner but it sounds like there were a few bumps in the road. I would like to direct you to our General Manager Michael .... to try and amend this situation. You can reach him on xxxx xxx xxx Again, I am sorry to hear this has been a difficult experience for you and I hope that we can move forward and find a solution.

Notice how the business addresses the issue early, empathizes with the customer, speaks politely and drives the conversation offline.

Responding to negative online reviews following these guidelines will help you turn problems into potential opportunities.

How do you address negative online reviews and do you capture positive reviews? -  We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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If you would like to get our Free instant feedback mobile site which you can send a link to your customers and gather instant feedback, then have it post direct onto your website automatically, boosting your reputation, please contact us today.

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