bad-reviews-can-change-their-reviewsI’ve been talking for a long time about the importance of online reviews for businesses. Many business owners want to ignore online review sites like Yelp, DexKnows, TripAdvisor, Angie’s List, you name it.

When I ask them why they don’t care about online reviews left by their customers, they often say, “Oh, I know that person. She was unreasonable. Nothing could please her.” or “Nobody cares or reads those reviews anyway.”

The problem with ignoring reviews is that those bad reviews can stay online for a very long time. And a lot of people DO read those online reviews. In fact, 88% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.

The best way to get positive reviews is to proactively ask for reviews from customers and then keep vigilant track of when and where those reviews are left about your business online. If you discover a bad review online, go to the review site and leave a message for the bad reviewer, first apologizing for their bad experience and then ask them to reach out to you so you can help rectify the situation. If you know the customer tell them that you will reach out to them to discuss. This does two things. First, it tells your customer that you care about their experience. Second, it tells everyone who reads the review online that you care enough to take the time to respond.

Once you reach out to the unhappy customer and (hopefully) rectify the situation, then go back and ask them if they would be kind enough to update their review online. Hopefully they will. If you’ve adequately fixed the situation then they’ll be more likely to do just that (as shown by the image in this post.)

If you need help with managing and marketing your online reputation, let us know!