Reputation management in the age of online review websites can be tough going.
Review websites and in-built review features on most social media platforms have really changed the game and are a significant factor influencing purchasing behaviours today.
With the festive season and summer holidays well and truly upon us, it is in our best interest to figure out how to turn the tables and make the review sites work for us!
Don’t be complacent!
Stay on top of what is being said about your brand online, and by whom.
Be thick skinned
When your brand is your baby, it is only natural to feel some sting from negative feedback. The important part is not to let wounded pride influence any public facing correspondence. Review websites aren’t gospel.
Address negative reviews appropriately
Negative reviews are inevitable and how you respond has the power to make, break or in the very least put a dent in your online reputation.
- Always respond to negative reviews: online be brief and courteous and direct the conversation to continue offline.
- Never request the user remove their review. Never delete the review yourself (there are always exceptions to this rule, but removing a review is always an absolute last resort).
- Don’t engage trolls. Ever. Period. Also, as much as it might seem like a good idea in the heat of the moment, never get your friends to engage trolls for you “anonymously”: you will get found out and it does not look good!
Encourage reviews
Don’t fear the beast! Embrace it. Encourage customer and client reviews. Positive buzz begets positive buzz.
Give them something positive to talk about!
Try to take all feedback, good and bad as a learning opportunity. How can you use this information to be better?
