Without a doubt, internet reviews on websites like Yelp, Tripadvisor, Facebook, and Google play a great role in the purchase decisions of buyers. Hence, having the right review management tools is critical for the success of your business.
Proper management of reviews can not only help you improve the online reputation of your business, but it can also boost the performance of your website on search engines. At the same time, it can also help you establish a great level of trust with potential and existing customers.
Online Review Management for Laymen
If you are new in the field of business, or perhaps you just recently launched your business on the internet, you might ask, what is review management all about? Simply put, review management is a collection of activities such as analyzing, generating, and monitoring reviews of your business on various websites.
The prime goal is to improve the performance of the business and to align the marketing strategy accordingly.
According to some statistics, 72% of customers are not likely to take any action before reading reviews. On the other hand, up to 94% of the customers would avoid a business due to negative reviews. So, it does not matter whether you are leading a small business or a large firm, internet reviews can directly impact your business revenue.
Three Tips to Manage Online Reviews
Now, let us look at three review management action tips that you can apply right away, to improve the standing of your business.
Respond Appropriately
The appropriate response to every review is a good indicator that your business cares about the customers. Even if the reviews are negative, you can lessen or perhaps totally diminish their impact by responding appropriately to the customer.
In the case of negative reviews, do not hesitate to apologize to the customer and to offer incentives to compensate for the negative experience. Never dismiss the customers’ negative experience, as that could make your business come off as arrogant, and that is a total deal-breaker.
Modify Your Marketing Strategy Based on Reviews
Treat internet reviews as marketing assets. What this means is, regularly monitor reviews on different platforms and figure out what the customers love the most about your business. Also, pinpoint the common concerns of customers who have left negative feedback.
Based on such information, you can enhance your marketing strategy and start retaining a larger number of customers. This will also help you target potential buyers more effectively than before.
Ask for Reviews
For review generation, it does not hurt to politely ask for reviews. However, remember that specifically asking for a positive review (especially if the service has not been up to the mark) is not going to be in your favor.
According to some statistics, up to 80% of the reviews on the internet come from post-service requests via emails or other channels such as landing pages, SMS, and a law firm review management system. Just remember to keep your requests simple, concise, and to the point!
