Convincing Brands to Actively Embrace Online Reviews
A new article from Entrepreneur highlights the importance of online reviews for brands of all sizes and from all industries. No brand wants to willingly embrace negative perceptions about their performance, which is why many companies go to great lengths to minimize their reliance on online reviews as a source of performance feedback. This is unfortunate because there is valuable information about the public perception of the brand embedded in those reviews, which can help a brand launch itself to the next level of success. The article below details the new trends in how brands are effectively combing through online reviews and using them to enhance their brand image.
The Unfortunate Reality of Avoiding Online Reviews
The idea that online reviews are over-rated is plain wrong. A recent consumer survey revealed that at least 86 percent of consumers consult online reviews of a business before trying it out for the first time. Online reviews are vitally more important for newer businesses because they are trying to attract customers for the first time instead of retaining their loyal base. Thus, they are more exposed to the whims of the public via online reviews. A negative review has a much more crushing effect on new business than a long-standing one because they are more likely to be read by a greater number of people online.
One of the most unfortunate side effects of avoiding online reviews is that a business will miss out on the opportunity to learn about ways that it can improve its performance. Even if the business cannot do anything to regain the business of a particularly disgruntled customer, it is a fine opportunity to reevaluate the way that the company does business. In order for this to be a worthwhile exercise for a business, it must be open to feedback on its performance and willing to take steps to improve what its customers think it needs to work on. Without a willingness to take real steps towards improvement, a business is missing out on one of the most crucial benefits of paying attention to online reviews.
Instituting a System to Make Sure that Negative Reviews Do No-Slip Through the Cracks
Even if a company is not actively trying to avoid negative online reviews, they can still miss out on spotting them because the business simply gets in the way. That is why it is so important to have a system in place to monitor online reviews at all times and promptly address any negative ones. There are many alert systems that you can set up to receive an instant notification when a negative online review goes live. In addition, your business should have a dedicated team of customer service representatives who address negative online reviews. There should be a plan for escalating news of a negative online review if it rises to a certain level of severity. This will prevent an online public relations crisis because the appropriate executives will receive timely notice of any unfavorable news.
While having a formal process in place for sharing news of a negative online review is a great first step, creating a culture of employees feeling safe to share this type of news is equally important in the long run. If employees feel that they will be penalized for not instantly improving the impact of a negative online review, they will be less likely to inform the appropriate people within the company of the news.
The Impact of Online Reviews on SEO
SEO remains a vital consideration for businesses in maintaining their digital presence. When a business receives authentic and positive online reviews, they are more likely to get a boost in SEO rankings. This means that more potential customers will interact with their brand over competitors. Positive online reviews are a great source of material for your brand’s website. They should also be treated as opportunities to engage further with customers who have a favorable impression of the brand.
Finding Ways to Request Online Reviews from Customers
Brands no longer have to stand by and wait for customers to feel compelled to leave an online review. You can offer small incentives for customers to leave feedback about their experiences with your brand through discount codes. You should be sure that your communications are not excessive or intrusive and that you do not annoy customers with your requests for an online review.
If you go the extra step of reaching out to customers for an online review, then you should be equally prepared to follow up with them for any negative feedback that you might receive about the brand. You can seriously burn a bridge with a customer by requesting immediate feedback and then not having the systems in place to be responsive to their comments.
Researching the best online review monitoring platform and service for your brand will enable you to host and analyze online customer reviews in one place. This makes it less likely that you will miss out on responding to any negative reviews and displays all of your most valuable feedback in an accessible way. The most innovative online review platforms will create an alert for you when a new customer review is posted and will even send out a reminder message to customers to review their most recent purchases. Keep in mind that there is no effective replacement for an actively engaged customer service team of trained and skilled employees who are standing ready to preserve the image of your brand. Automated services can prevent your customer service team from missing out on opportunities, but it certainly does not replace their judgment in effectively responding.
