One of the great advantages of the digital age is the multitude of opinions online that consumers are able to review before making a purchase decision. There is a wide range of review platforms which cover all types of services that consumers have access to.
Business owners should find ways to manage their reviews and to engage proactively with their customers.
What is reputation management?
Reputation management is the process of identifying and monitoring other people’s opinion or feelings about a product or business in general.
Just a few years ago, the internet was very different. Businesses were not engaging with customers in the way they are expected to now and people were not able to express their voice in a powerful way. The situation has radically changed and user-generated content is a must. Regular interactions on social networks are vital to any business success.
No matter the size of your business, your customers are most likely talking about you. They are tweeting, leaving comments on your blog, reposting on Instagram or sharing a post on Facebook about their customer experience and more.
Engaging and interacting with your customers across these platforms can create a community network and make them feel heard and appreciated.
The Benefits of Customer Reviews and Feedback?
The internet has brought all things to our fingertips from online shopping to researching for your next big purchase. The internet is now evolving to be a forum where customers can evaluate products and services based on impressions and feedback from other like-minded consumers.
Informing customers of the availability of a product or service is no longer adequate as customers are craving knowledge from first-hand experiences. Businesses that don’t have reviews may be missing an opportunity to grow their business.
The impact of reviews
Reviews not only have the power to influence consumer decisions but can also strengthen a business’s credibility. Reviews have the power to gain the customer’s trust and encourages people to interact with the business. This in turn can lead to improved profits for businesses.
Reviews provide an opportunity for businesses and customers to build a relationship with one another. Establishing an emotional connection with customers show that their opinions are valued and taken seriously which is a crucial step in forming lasting relationships with them.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Reputation Management?
The Do’s
- Have an action plan in place where you respond to reviews in a timely manner and contain any possible reputation damage as much as possible.
- Respond in a professional manner against attacks and choose to take it off line to deal with the issue at hand rather than engage in a back and forth on social media which can make you look unprofessional.
- Emphasize the positive voices as much as you can. While negative reviews can be hard to handle, paying just as much attention to the great ones is important in boosting your general reputation.
- Use it for your google ranking. Receiving a lot of customer feedback is a fantastic way to improve your search results on search engines like Google and Bing.
- Motivate feedback actively where you can with your customers. Do not fail to place visible places for your customers to leave feedback on your website and social media platforms.
The Don’ts
- Do not panic when you receive terrible feedback and instead respond rapidly and professionally.
- Don’t delete negative comments as this can be perceived as covering up an issue or admitting guilt.
- Try not to focus too much on the negative and instead take on the feedback and turn it into a productive means of improving your business. Focusing too much on the negative is not time or cost effective.
As a business owner, it is vital to have a communication plan and there are tools available that can help you manage your reviews all in one place. White Pages Connect gives you a single point of control to manage your online presence, reply to reviews and publish content making sure you never miss a review and can engage with your customers easily.
