Maintaining a 5-Star Reputation Online

The majority of consumers (92%) read at least two online reviews before forming an opinion about a local business, and 94% say a negative review is enough to convince them to avoid a business altogether.

If you have not been paying attention to your online reviews, consider this your sign.

Most online and in-person companies have a library of online reviews, no matter how long they have been in business. Customers love to share their experiences, and future customers love to vet out companies before making purchases or utilizing the services.

Managing your online reviews does not mean covering up bad reviews and only highlighting the good ones. Today, it is essential to set up an online review monitoring system and establish an in-house strategy to ensure you keep tabs on all reviews. This way, you can be alerted to when new reviews come in and determine how to best address them depending on the tone and content.

Building an Online Reputation Management Strategy

Online reputation management includes monitoring, analyzing, responding to and generating customer reviews across multiple platforms, such as Google My Business, Facebook, Yelp and others. Creating an online reputation management strategy means having the tools and resources at your disposal to address reviews as they come in.

Online reputation management covers all review types:

Positive reviews - By leveraging positive reviews and responding to them to thank them for their feedback strengthens your brand reputation.
Negative reviews - Addressing a negative review must be handled promptly and appropriately. By addressing the review and offering a solution by connecting with them directly, you show other potential customers you are willing to go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.
Mediocre reviews - It is easy to focus on the good and the bad, but the middle-of-the-road reviews also deserve attention. This helps previous customers feel heard and offers you an opportunity to enhance their experience. It also shows future customers you do not settle and are always looking to improve.

By creating pre-made responses, your team can easily address different types of reviews. When a negative review arises (because they always do), having a system in place to ensure the customer is responded to quickly and efficiently can help resolve the issue and potentially lead to a more positive review in turn. It is also essential to have outline policies and procedures developed so your team understands when and how to address different reviews.

Responding to online reviews can help you build engagement, gain insights, grow your trust and credibility and resolve issues quickly.

Online Reputation Management Tips

Online reviews are not just feedback, they should be seen as a marketing tool. There are numerous ways you can utilize online reviews to promote your company, including:

Asking for reviews. When you have a new or returning customer purchase from your business, consider asking them to leave an online review. Reviews from trusted customers can go a long way in terms of convincing future customers to reach out and trust you as well.
Sharing great reviews. Consider adding outstanding reviews to your website, sales materials and in-store signs. Online reviews, even when in print, can be a great way to show you have a loyal customer base and know what you are doing.
Working with an agency. A digital marketing agency has the necessary online review management tools, such as BirdEye and Yext, which can help monitor and react to all incoming reviews. An agency will also have the people working behind the scenes for you, ready to develop responses, address problems as they arise and strategize as your business grows.

Maintain 5-Stars Year-Round

At Web Tech Fusion, we work one-on-one with our partners to develop a consistent process that includes response times, escalation processes, policies on approach and details on when to engage (and when to ignore). Our approach allows us to develop a personal and authentic response for positive, negative and middle-of-the-road reviews. We develop tactics that reduce the chance of backlash and encourage a more positive outcome.

Having a team of trusted online management professionals on your side is a great way to keep up a 5-star reputation. We are here to help you navigate the tricky but often rewarding aspects of managing your online reputation day after day, year after year.

Manage your online reviews with us.