Customer Reviews
Today more people are checking customer reviews than ever before with an estimate of over 90% checking reviews. They can make or break your business so use them to your advantage. Show potential customers that you care about and search engines that you engage. It’s a huge PR and SEO opportunity where you can shine and boost your business.
Remember 90% of potential customers are checking your company reviews. Respond to all reviews. With these simple concepts, showcase yourself to the world as a company that cares.
Listen When Your Customers Talk
Think of your replies as free marketing or as part of your public relations department. It is easy to react to the bad reviews but don’t forget the good reviews. Think of it this way. You are having a cup of coffee with a friend. They pay you a compliment. Of course, you say “Thank-you”.
The same goes on the internet. Show your customers and the world that you genuinely care about their experience. Show people that they are important and show them you care. It makes both the customer and others seeing the reviews feel good. Happy customers come back and share their experiences. Potential customers feeling good about you are more likely to business with you.
Harness the Power of “Word of Mouth”
Word of mouth – it is one of the most powerful forms of marketing. Ask yourself this – which will you listen to first – an ad saying the company is amazing vs your friend saying the company is amazing? We value our friends’ opinions. After all they share your likes and dislikes. We also listen to other’s experiences, when weighing on what to do.
In short people value customer reviews which is the internet’s form of word of mouth. So it is far more likely to generate business through word of mouth than from ads directly from a business.
Those online reviews are gold. Treat each and every customer review as you would a friend’s opinion, with care and attention. Good news about your business will spread, helping your sales and bottom line.
Use Negative Customer Reviews for Good PR
We all cringe when we negative reviews pop up on our company pages. Stop and take a deep breath. Count to ten. See how you can get the reviewer off-line to address the issue. Think about how the best way to show the world you are fair, reasonable and caring. Turn lemons into lemonade. Take this negative review an turn it into a good public relations opportunity.
Your Business is Your Passion
…so it can be easy to get heated when you see a bad review. Here are some tips on staying calm and addressing a negative review:
- Consider the customer: Do not let your feelings get the best of you. Every negative review is a chance for you to improve your business. Try to think of this as Feedback for Improvement for your business.
- Respond to your critics: It is important to respond to all reviews quickly especially negative reviews. The longer a negative review goes unanswered, the more it will appear that you don’t care.
- Direct your conversation elsewhere: Instead of having a potentially negative interaction in a public forum, get the conversation offline. Give the negative reviewer ways to contact you through email, private message, or telephone numbers. This way they know you have their personal interest at heart and you direct any potential negativity away from the public eye.
- Investigate the issue fully: Your initial response should be to gather the facts surrounding the situation. Let them know that you are going to look into it and set the expectation as to when you are going to reply. Then make sure to reply. Knee jerk responses can be just as damaging.
- Invite them back: Inviting your customer back with the reassurance that their problem will be solved upon their next visit is imperative. Offer some sort of incentive such as 10% off as well if applicable. Not only will this customer feel important, they are far more likely to give you another chance or possibly change their review.
- Shake it off: Remember that one bad review is not necessarily the end. As long as you take the time to address the situation in a calm and polite manner, you are doing nothing wrong. All negative (and positive) reviews are free customer feedback. Take all reviews in stride and use them to your advantage! In the long run the best way to combat negative reviews is to have a system in place to get positive reviews.
Stay in the Know!
Online customer reviews are a make or break part of modern business. They assist in customer decision making and buying. It is important to stay on top of all reviews and to own your brand.
By following the above tips, you are likely to win more business from online reviews and retain your current customers for years to come!
Looking to grow your business? Not sure how to get online? Give Talbot Services Corp. a call today!