How to deal with negative reviews about your brand or company
There are people that will not like what you’re doing. No matter how well you put up your site, or run your business, there are no doubt going to be reviews that aren’t 5 star. It’s hard to remain perfect online. Even the best businesses in the world don’t really get great reviews all the time. If you end up with a good deal of negativity, things will definitely cause a great deal of issue. It’s with that in mind that you should look into a few tips on how to work with bad reviews. There’s a way to turn things around, and it’s going to start with recognizing that there’s an issue. Do not just lash out. Do not panic. Instead, step back and really focus on the bigger picture. You’re going to find that there’s something grand at play here, if you just focus on the right pieces of the puzzle. There are 4 sure fire tips that will help you deal with reviews that are less than favorable.
Join The Conversation
Here’s the first tip that you are going to have to really focus on, join the conversation. Start talking to people and address the issue head on. If someone has something negative to say, or has posted reviews about your business, make sure that you talk. Don’t stay silent. Some business owners end up stepping away and that’s not a good thing. You have to join the conversation and speak with individuals about what you’re doing and how you’re going about it. If you do not do this, you will end up causing problems. People want to know that you care. In order to show that you in fact care, you will need to address the issue in a public forum. Don’t lash out, don’t be mean, just simply acknowledge that there’s an issue and you’re going to work on things moving forward.
Get Your Audience To Leave Reviews
In order to combat bad reviews, you need a flood of positive reviews. That means that you will need to look at having your audience leave reviews in a positive manner. Do not just tell people to leave you positive notes. Instead, ask them to give their honest opinion on what you’re doing. If you ask nicely, people will not only come in to help you, they are going to give you rave reviews that drown out all the negative ones. This may seem like a lot, but it’s honestly a good thing. People already have an established opinion as to what your business is doing and what it’s like. In order to ensure that you are moving forward, make sure that you let your audience leave reviews, and encourage them to do so. Offer discounts if they do, and try to make sure that you remain positive in all endeavors here. Communication is the key to success within the concepts of online reviews.
Respond Immediately, Promptly
One of the worst things that you can do is wait too long to respond to issues. Do not let anything fester. If you see reviews are being posted that are negative, make sure that you highlight them and address the issue overall. Responding immediately is going to pay off dividends, no doubt. Just don’t let things go unnoticed. People that have left reviews about your business are not going to wait around for you to respond too long. They will wait a short time, and see if there’s any traction. If nothing happens, they will leave their review and the word of mouth in regards to their opinion will grow. This is not a good thing.
Be Polite In All Correspondence
No matter what the reviews say, you should always be polite. Be direct, and try to figure out what is truly at the helm of the reviewer’s mind. Reviews come and go, but the way that you treat someone is going to make a lot of waves. Make sure that you’re polite in changing things up, corresponding with others, and ensuring that they are not left out cold. Its’ easy to lash out. It’s easy to cause issue. However, if you’re nice, and you address the situation with calm responses, you will end up getting a positive review out of everything. It’s not good to argue with anyone that has left negative comments. Leaving negative responses will only cause more problems down the line. If you want to ensure that you are going in the right direction, be polite with how you respond to others.
