Believe it or not, the same premise applies to negative review response as it does to positive reviews. How one responds to a negative review impacts not only the reviewer, but all people who come in contact afterward. Seeing a business handle a particularly challenging review online suggests that management is proud of their business, and willing to go the extra mile to maintain their reputation!
Make potential clients see the light with these four steps: apologize, promote, get offline, keep it simple.
“Try the world-famous barbecue chicken and world-famous secret sauce. Perhaps it is famous — in the worst way possible — 1-STAR!
Barbecue Bridget, 1-Star, Google Reviews
4 Steps to Tackle Negative Reviews & Ratings
- Apologize and Sympathize: The first step towards fixing a problem is acknowledging that one occurred. Regardless of what happened, a simple apology and sympathy for your customer’s experience goes a long way.
- Promote: Let’s say a customer, let’s call this customer Barbecue Bridget, feels your “world-famous, secret-sauce” was not up-to-par. According to Barbecue Bonnie’s review “I’m new to the area, and all I’ve heard is try the world-famous barbecue chicken and world-famous secret sauce. Perhaps it is famous — in the worst way possible — 1-STAR!” If your brand is considered by many to be a local, regional or even a world favorite and a popular continue to do what your brand doest best — stick with it; reiterate its popularity? “Our crab cakes are usually a hit, we’re sorry to hear that they weren’t up to par when you visited!
- Move the Conversation Offline: Don’t open a can of worms. Keep the lid on tight by offering the reviewer the chance to reach out via phone, email or both.
- Keep It Simple: Avoid specific information about the situation or case, and don’t ask questions in a public forum. Those conversations are much better served in a space away from the prying public.
Marketing Pro Tip: leave your business name, location and category out of this. You don’t want your negative reviews showing up in search!
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