Turn Your Customers Frowns Upside Down
Friday, January 27, 2012
Online Reputation Management Is More Important Than You May Know...
The web has rapidly become one of the first places users go when looking for information about a product, service, or company. Whether you want them to or not, when potential customers search for your business, they are also finding out what others have had to say about you. And if past or existing customers have posted negative reviews, this could be steering away potential new customers, and in turn, you could be losing business!
This is where online reputation management comes in. By managing your online reputation you can stay updated on what customers are saying about your business, diffuse situations that may arise with unhappy customers, and increase positive reception among potential new customers.
So how can you begin managing your online reputation? Here are 3 tips to get you started!
Know where your business is listed:
If you don’t know where your company is listed online, there is no way to know what your customers are saying! Make sure you keep a record of all of your local listings like Google, Yahoo, Yelp, etc. as well as popular blogs, and forums in your industry. Monitor these sites weekly to see if customers are posting comments about your business, that way, if a new review is added to one of these sites, you can address it in a timely manner
Respond to Negative Reviews:
So what happens when you find a negative review of your business on one of your local listings? One of the best ways to diffuse a situation with an unhappy customer that commented about your business is to respond to their review - carefully. By responding to the review, you can initiate contact with the reviewer in hopes that you can take the conversation offline and resolve any issues they may have. Here are few best practices to keep in mind when responding to a negative review
• Post a unique response: Too many businesses use a canned response when trying to diffuse situations with unhappy customers online. This is impersonal, and can leave a bad taste in a customer’s mouth. Make your response individual to each customer’s situation. This will ensure the customer knows you read their review, and are honestly looking to see what you can do to make things right.
• Apologize – even if the customer’s facts aren’t right: There will be times when a customer posts something about their experience that may not be entirely true. Don’t argue with the customer in attempt to set their story straight! You have to remember that other potential customers will see your response, and by arguing with a customer, you make yourself look like the bad guy. Instead, use the ‘customer is always right’ mentality and apologize for how they feel about their experience. This will go a long way with the unhappy customer, and show potential customers that you are working towards a resolution to the problem
• Ask the customer to contact you: Taking the conversation offline is the best course of action when dealing with an unhappy customer. Give the customer a way to contact you, whether it’s an email address or a phone number so that you can learn more about their experience. That way, you can speak with them personally, and see how you can earn their business in the future.
Leverage your positive reviews!
Responding to your negative reviews is just as important as leveraging your positives, yet most businesses forget this step! When a customer posts a positive review about your business on a local listing, blog, or forum, you should respond to it and thank the customer for their business. A simple thank you goes a long way in ensuring they continue to be a loyal customer to your business in the future. Also, if you have social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter, one strategy you should implement is posting your positive reviews to these accounts. Typically, social media accounts show up in search results, and potential new customers could see these positive reviews as well as your social media profiles.
The bottom line is that if you’re not staying up to date on what your customers are saying about you, you could be losing business. By managing your online reputation, you will be able to rectify situations with unhappy customers, ensure that your existing customers continue to visit your business, and even gain potential new customers.