A friend of mine called me the other week in disarray: someone left a nasty review online for her business that she just started. She was in disbelief also because it wasn’t someone she could recognize as her client! Why that person was so inclined to leave a bad review is anyone’s guess, but now she would have to deal with a bad reputation online.
So what to do in such a case you would ask? I wanted to share some tips that would help you ace your online reputation game!
Manage your reputation
The truth is: whether you are using the internet yourself or not, whether you actively market your business online or not, you will get feedback about your services and you need to keep an eye on what people are saying and react immediately no matter if it’s positive or negative.
★ First, making sure you are aware about your reputation online is the key! You can do this with a number of tools online that would alert you about new reviews or get help from a reputable marketing agency that can monitor your reputation for you and send you regular updates whenever the new review is available.
★ Check in with groups online for the location where you provide your services or the topics that your business is related to.
★ Use MonitorThis.com to keep track of your keywords in different search engines
★ Consider starting tracking mentions about your business with the Mention.com to be able to react to conversations where your business is discussed.
Once you have a good handle on monitoring your reputation, you’ll have to put together a plan on how to grow your reputation online and how to respond to all the reviews that are coming in.
What can you do to get more reviews?
The best strategy to growing your reputation is really simple: ask for reviews from your clients and customers!
Create a simple way for your clients to leave feedback whether in the comfort of their home or right in your business lobby once the service is provided.
You can:
● Send emails and text messages asking for reviews
● You can give away your business cards with the QR code leading to your favorite review site or feedback page
● You can add a simple testimonial submission form to your website
● You can create table tops or brochures with the details on how to leave a review
● You can mail postcards asking to leave feedback
● You can ask on social media for feedback on your services
The positive reviews that would be submitted would overshadow the negative review that was submitted earlier and will make it less relevant.
Respond to ALL reviews, especially to the negative ones.
The professional approach and will to remedy the situation will help new consumers see the real deal and trust your business despite the negative experience of the other party.
Good cancels bad!
Protect your reputation online by collecting a lot of positive feedback, reviews, features, or mentions. It’ll pay off not just in the case of a reputation, but also when someone is searching for information on your business.