Review management has become an essential focus for business owners over the last few years. With the great number of customers first checking online reviews before choosing to do business with a local businesses, it is critically important to conduct review monitoring and management properly.
Review management has changed the way businesses communicate with customers. It’s also changed how they approach social media. It has helped take the guesswork out of customer consumer opinions and behaviors. Which enables companies to interact with their customers in continual engaging conversations. When customers search for your type of company on review sites for businesses, they will check out a business reputation. Then they will choose the one with the best business ratings. Thus, online review management has become a central element of every modern marketing strategy.
Any serious business owner will ask, “How do I manage my online reviews?” Online review management is the process of monitoring reviews of your business on review sites like Yelp and Google. Then taking appropriate actions to protect and improve your online reputation. In this day and age, managing reviews is essential for every business if you want to grow sales. As a smart business owner, you must shape the perception about your company. Then cultivate a base of loyal fans. Great ways accomplish this are delivering interesting content, interacting on social media, and actively communicating likeability and trust to potential customers.
Review management includes two main functions. Firstly is to monitor reviews across online review sites and third-party platforms. So you learn all about what people are saying and sharing about your company’s service and reputation. Secondly, is how you respond to reviews. It must be personable, sincere, and meaningful. So you can use each review, good or bad, as an opportunity to market your company and its excellence.
Research has shown that customer business reviews and ratings greatly increase the click-through rate to your Google Maps listing. Which is why expert ratings often increase your local search placement. We are huge advocates of big-picture review management. One that aims to position your business in any and all relevant business review websites. More importantly, review management is not simply reputation management. Rather great business management that can significantly impact your bottom line.
Reputation management and review management can provide an immediate lift through positive word-of-month and social sharing. It will build your social credibility, allow you to influence consumers again, and drive new business. It will also deliver accurate and up-to-date search engine results for your business. Showing on all the online review sites that matter most. Including online reviews of businesses in your specific industry.
Companies that conduct review management consistently will succeed. They will continually outperform other businesses in any online search. Specifically rank high on Google Maps and Yelp listings. So prospective customers are exposed to that business over the competition. And that exposure includes greater credibility and trust. On the other hand, companies that fail to recognize the importance of a review management system will struggle. And those that neglect to manage their reviews will suffer. It really is that poignant.
One of the goals of review management is to get the happy (but otherwise silent) customers to reach out and actually give good reviews. How to get online reviews is something all business owners must address. Therefore a strategy that actively gathers customer feedback has a huge business impact. For example, you can instruct your employees to simply ask the customer for feedback. Then you can pretty much conclude that the customer review will be a positive or negative feedback review. That will be based on the response you receive. So you have an opportunity to ensure that your customer is completely satisfied before he or she leaves your place of business. Moreover, review management will inform you with details and understanding. All that is necessary to reliably deliver amazing customer experiences.
Traditionally, most business owners resorted to a hope and pray approach. Which resulted in a disproportionately large number of negative reviews. Which often came at a surprise to the business owner. As well as an underwhelming number of positive reviews. Because satisfied customers are less likely to visit websites to review businesses, if not reminded. However, an active approach that engages customers is most effective. And this non-traditional approach towards managing reviews may no longer be so counter-intuitive. Especially now that it has endured and proven itself for a few years. Only proactive review management will rectify this misleading imbalance. By encouraging more happy customers to review a company online and post positive feedback. While simultaneously enabling the business to manage any issues an unhappy customer might have.
Online review management may seem a bit overwhelming. But with consistent attention and care, you will generate increasing numbers of positive reviews. Which increases your credibility and improves your reputation. Then it will make new customer acquisition much easier and natural. Because prospective customers will be influenced by experiences your existing customers have shared. The goal is to generate positive reviews from happy existing customers. Which increases inbound calls and foot traffic from prospective customers. Thus improving your sales. For companies with a local presence, effective review management is absolutely critical for increasing revenue.
The tedious tasks of online review management services can become time consuming. Especially if attempted without any streamlined processes or automation. But don’t worry. Most of the processes can be automated. Review management software should be flexible. It should have the ability to turn on or off the review sites you want your customer feedback sent to. Consider the best reputation management companies offer solutions that help you better listen to customer sentiment. Then use those conversations to better communicate with your customers.
Approaching your sales and customer service through the lens of review management can help give you the competitive edge. When done correctly, your business ratings and reviews will enable you to convince future customers of your excellent customer service. And how you reconciled any problems with past customers helps prospects find out if a business is legitimate. Demonstrate that when problems do occur you promptly remedy them to the customer’s satisfaction. That goes a long way in generating good will and credibility. One of the most impactful results is that it expands your unique selling points. Online review management is an ongoing task and should be treated as a part of your daily marketing routine.
The primary places a prospective customer goes to check your ratings and reviews are Google, Yelp review site, and other third-party sites to review businesses relevant to your specialty. However, customers also share their experiences, both good and bad, all over social media. Which is why the very heart of review management is social listening. For brands that target a particular group, social platform review management is just as important as Google or other review sites. Some resonate with a particular demographic more than others. So recommendations on social media sites like Facebook are very important.
Reviews are worth more than you think. And proactive review management can help you harness this untapped resource. When a customer goes to review a business on Google, you want then to share a great experience because everyone will view it later. Thus managing your reviews is the only way to move forward in this world full of five-star ratings and influential business review sites. So investing your time and resources in managing reviews can significantly impact your marketing efforts. Then all businesses should seriously regard management of their reviews. It will promote positive reviews online and proactively handle negative reviews. Using review management software, effective review management will provide an excellent opportunity to formulate and eventually achieve your business goals.
