When businesses receive negative reviews, they panic. They either respond to the review or take it down—most of the time it’s the latter. What most businesses fail to see is that they can use negative reviews as a turning point for their local presence.
That’s where you come in. All it takes is the right approach to convince your clients and show them the golden opportunities in bad reviews. More than that, you can manage and control their online reputation for them and deliver a truly value adding service.
How Do Bad Reviews Become Good for Your Clients?
Conversations in the digital landscape redefine word of mouth. Before the Internet became the central venue of conversations, customers only spread a bad experience by sharing it with people within their network. These days, customers are sharing their experiences through different platforms, whether through social, blog comments, or listing sites.
Authenticity
A bad review doesn’t always have to be a black label in your client’s record. You can use it as a proof of authenticity for your client’s business. In a 2014 survey, 88% of customers read reviews to get insights about the quality of a business. While negative reviews would make customers think twice about their buying decision, the existence of these reviews reinforces the online presence of that business.
Engagement
You can use bad reviews as a starting point for engagement. When a customer posts a negative feedback, most businesses are quick to take action and respond. As Google says, responding to reviews is one way to build trust and develop engagement with customers. A prompt, professional response may turn a customer from being angry to appreciative.
Credibility
Positive reviews are not always good for the business. When a business has purely positive reviews, it seems to be too good to be true. As Econsultancy points out, 68% of customers are more likely to trust a business if they see both the good and the bad scores. This implies that having only positive reviews makes a business appear less credible than those who receive mixed feedback.
How You Handle Negativity Can Make a Difference
No one is immune to negative reviews, and your clients must understand this. Even successful brands like Nike or Walmart have had to deal with negative reviews from unsatisfied customers. The key is to strategize how you handle negative reviews, so these will not consume your client’s business.
1. Using Reviews as an Early Warning System
Negative reviews are like warning bells. Think of it as a way of extinguishing a fire before it goes out of control. The faster you deal with a negative review, the more customers you can save from the impact of the issue.
A study from the National Association of Retail Marketing Services shows that 95% of customers are likely to return if an issue is resolved quickly. When your client calls you and says that he’s receiving a couple of negative feedback from customers, you can look at where the problem lies and recommend immediate solutions so they don’t lose their customers.
2. Solidifying Reviews for Your SEO Strategy
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; find good review sources to provide leverage for your client’s online presence. Not all review sites create the same opportunity, as some sites have more weight on Google than others. If your client is not on any of these review sites, your client may not be visible to their target customers.
One way you can help clients gain exposure on different listings is through review syndication. This way, your client’s customer feedback will be disseminated to different review sites. But, how does this help if you’re dealing with negative reviews? The great thing about review syndication is your response will be distributed to review sites along with the customer feedback. This reduces the effort you have to put into responding to the negative feedback that your client’s business receives.
3. Monitoring for Continuous Interactions
Speed is of the essence when you’re dealing with customer reviews. You need to recommend a timeframe for responding to reviews, be it good or bad. This helps you build interaction for your clients and show the value they can provide to their customers. Monitor these interactions, so you can advise clients on what areas they can improve on in their business.
Streamline your online reputation management. One of the biggest mistakes that digital marketing agencies commit is letting reviews go unsupervised. Not all negative reviews produce the same impact on a business—some can be overturned with a quick response, while others might require a more strategic approach. Know where to focus your marketing efforts to get results
There’s always going to be someone dissatisfied with a particular business or service. Nonetheless, it’s how you take control of the situation that matters. By applying the right strategies and looking at the right metrics, you can turn these negative reviews into positive reinforcement for your client’s reputation signals.
Develop a winning strategy for your client’s online reputation. Call our toll-free number at 1-800-250-6106 and talk of our Project Managers.
