Online reviews matter. Good reviews can build your business up while bad ones can bring you an opportunity for a free digital marketing strategy. Depending on how you deal with it, both positive and negative reviews can impact real business outcomes.
Why Do Bad Reviews Matter Too?
So, you finally launched your business. And since you know about the opportunity of a wide market online, you decided to add your business to Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Some weeks have passed and you receive a notification on your business email and it’s certainly not good news. Something you’ve been dreading has happened – your business received a one-star review.
No matter how good your products or services are, complaints happen. It’s inevitable and the internet has provided ways to make it easier for people to create criticism. Yes, you can always ignore bad reviews. And sometimes, it’s the best course of action in some situations. However, you should also be aware that reviews online are public records. Anyone can read it online. One review can go viral and can stay on the internet forever.
American research conducted by Power Reviews revealed that 97% of consumers consult product reviews before making a purchase decision. Moreover, 89% of shoppers see online reviews as an essential resource. And 85% of them seek negative reviews.
Another research published by an international website Bright Local came up with similar findings. According to their survey, 91% of people regularly or occasionally read reviews on the internet, and 84% of them trust what they read. Here’s a more alarming part, 68% percent of them make a decision after reading between one and six reviews online.
From an SEO perspective, reviews can also affect your visibility online. Google said so itself – positive business reviews can improve your visibility. Moz, one of the largest SEO companies worldwide, pointed out that roughly 9% of Google’s search algorithm is driven by review signals.
We did not look for these studies to scare you but to encourage you to take action. Getting a bad review isn’t the end of your business. In fact, you can take advantage of this type of comment, to have no-cost marketing. Remember, it’s not only the reviews that can go viral, but your response can also do the same and this was proven by many companies around the globe.
How to Deal With Negative Reviews?
Negative reviews happen to almost all businesses. It can happen regardless of the quality of your services. The good news is that there are ways that can help maintain your standing. The way you respond to those can improve your business reputation. You just need to find the right approach and a winning digital marketing strategy. Below are some of the simple yet effective you can do to take advantage of your negative reviews.
Create feedback ASAP
Angry customers typically leave a review right after they had a negative experience. When these customers commented on your website, social media, or other platforms, they don’t expect swift responses. Now you must seize that opportunity and prove them wrong. Make feedback to their reviews as soon as you can.
Quick responses can minimize or prevent more damage. But never answer with a template message. Make constructive and personalized feedback about the issue to show them that you really care.
Collect your thoughts before making any responses
Making quick responses is good, but only if you can think calmly and objectively. Don’t make any feedback when you think controlled by your emotions. It will just make things worse. Take a pause and have a clear picture of the situation. If you can’t clear your mind, try jotting down notes or taking a 5-minute walk, it can do some magic. The goal is to have the whole story in your head.
When you think you understand the situation, it’s time to construct a response. Star your feedback saying thanks to the person for bringing out what situation to your attention. You can also ask for an apology before addressing the concerns. Finally, leave an email or phone number so you two can resolve the situation.
Reply Privately
If you have a way to contact the person, try to get in touch with them privately. Send them an email or maybe a quick phone call. If you can also set a meeting, try to make it possible. In that way, the customer will feel your dedication and genuine attempt to address the problem. Reaching out to them directly or privately might be the best approach to resolve even some serious issues.
That Generous Refund Policy
This may not be for everyone, but giving a refund can be a perfect strategy to handle negative reviews. Most of the customers who leave negative reviews usually felt that your service or product costs them money for nothing. Giving them to have a quick refund can help you avoid getting negative feedback. But don’t forget that you can lose money doing this.
Bring your effort to the next level by offering your customers other incentives such as discounts on their next service or a priority schedule when the problem is solved. These actions can potentially convert a one-time buyer into a lifetime customer.
Remove negative reviews (Yes! It is possible)
You read that right, you can remove the review under certain conditions. Websites like Yelp, Facebook, and even Google allow business owners to report reviews for removal. These platforms may remove negative reviews but only in certain conditions: if the review is not true, when it contains inappropriate content, or when it doesn’t meet the community standard.
Another way of removing reviews is by following up on the reviewer after a conflict resolution. Typically, customers will take bad reviews down when they felt that they were treated fairly. Though, this doesn’t happen all time. If this is the case, reach out to the reviewer and make sure that resolution has been made. You can do this privately or in public by commenting on their reviews.
Whether they reply or not, other customers will see that you are dedicated to giving quality service. But don’t ask them to take down their reviews straightforwardly. Try to come up with a more creative approach so that you will not sound a bit pushy.
Let's Build A Positive Online Presence
Online reviews matter in any type of business. Good reviews can bring positive results. But it doesn’t mean bad reviews can only bring disadvantages to your business. With a proper strategy and a bit of creativity, it can also be an opportunity for your business to grow. It’s not impossible to turn negative reviews into an advantage. Many companies have done this in the past, and you can also do it too.
Keep in mind that it’s not all about conflict resolution. The most important part is that you are willing to learn from the criticisms that you receive. You must see what went wrong in your services and actually improve your services based on your customer’s feedback.
Aside from reviews, many other digital marketing strategies can help you build a positive online presence. You have a huge market on the Internet. Be sure that you can reach them all. If you’re not sure how to get started, feel free to reach Be Global E-commerce Corporation. Our team is dedicated to bringing business like yours to success through digital marketing solutions and other e-commerce services.
