Customer reviews and online reputation

Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

Your online reputation is forever. If anyone writes negatively against you online, this can seriously damage your long-term reputation – Especially if you are unaware of it. 

You may also never be aware of the specific reasons why you haven’t gained any new clients or why a specific product is not selling or why a business opportunity offer has not materialized.

It is important to keep track of what others may be sharing about your brand online and take action in order to rectify potential errors.

Online reputation management (ORM) includes monitoring mentions about your company’s name on the internet, particularly in reviews and across Social Media. It might look like a task for your PR department, but ORM is completely the opposite. ORM is a slightly more defensive approach, centered primarily around tracking negative content and working to limit the potential damage. 

Social Media algorithms encourage viral content; however, negative or controversial postings typically tend to generate one of the fastest virality rates. 

The reason behind this is due to the fact that it relies on engagement. Engagement equals how many viewers actually watch the content.

Generally, the higher the controversy, there will be increased exposure. As a result, this can cause negative attention towards a company or brand and it often spreads quickly. Nevertheless, the phenomenon of viral trends tends to fade in and out in a short amount of time. Therefore, while the negative pressure from the media revolving around a brand may trend around it for a week or two, the moment a new controversy appears, the internet may forget its existence.

A positive review refers simply to feedback written by a satisfied client who had a positive experience with your company, product, or service. 

Review management services may help with identifying exactly where your company is performing well, for example, determining the areas of improvements needed to increase quality customer experience or ensure a consistently excellent overall product.

Since every client’s perception is slightly unique, you may consider adapting the way you reply. You should let them feel they are valued as well as let them feel you are paying careful attention to their feedback. One way you can do this is by referring to the reviewer’s name when replying, quoting their comments, and personalizing your message. Doing this, can create a more personal connection between you and the client, increasing their confidence and trust in your company and encouraging them to continue making purchases.

Responding to a client review as quickly as possible within 24 hours has the potential on helping your company gain an online reputation of being responsive and thoughtful. Delivering prompt responses may show customers you are respectful of their time. For example, you may want to develop a plan to read, track and respond to all reviews to ensure you offer immediate feedback.

Sticking to a brief and to-the-point approach may ensure your reviewers are reading your replies. At the same time, it offers an ideal relationship-building experience for your customers. As a result, it may be a cost-effective method with which to both advertise your company and grow your client list. 

Maintaining succinct answers is also likely to motivate your reviewers into sharing your reply with their friends and followers on their Social Media. Likewise, it helps you prevent overloading your answer with excessive use of keywords as well as overuse of your company name which can affect your search engine rankings in a negative manner.

You should be encouraging your customers to follow up or pass on information after you have responded to a positive review. For instance, a business could ask reviewers to suggest or recommend products among their friends or to take the initiative to let others know about their experience on Social Media. 

Most businesses leverage positive customer reviews as a powerful marketing tool. Take into consideration leveraging customer conversations as you share good positive reviews on your company’s Social Media platforms and website. Doing so may help further the credibility of the brand while promoting your products and services.

Sharing your feedback showcases a positive customer experience, all of which can set your business apart when compared to others.

However, when a client makes a negative reference, they deserve your attention and an honest response. A reply enables you to alleviate a possibly harmful outcome and eventually transform a complaint into a positive or at the very least neutral review, by acknowledging the fact that you respect your clients. In fact, one customer might choose you over another competitor.

Whether shopping in-store or not, online reviews are influencing purchase decisions on the shelf. 88% of in-store shoppers check online reviews to help make purchase decisions at the shelf.

Your business can’t be trusted by the public if it doesn’t have any ratings or reviews. Therefore, consumers are likely to end up buying/using the services provided by your competitors who already have built a strong online reputation. 

Marketing is a costly and often time-consuming process for managing a business. 

The reviews are overflowing. They are authentic feedback regarding a prior client’s experience with your business. Highly eye-opening for potential customers and can persuade people to either stick away or move on to your business. You should also pay close attention to your reviews and start requesting them.

You may claim one thing positive about your business, but you might have no real-world proof to support it. The social proof is powerful and convincing. Possibly, even more, persuasive than any of your other marketing efforts.

Consumers are more willing to purchase a product if there are thousands of Ratings and Reviews. Additionally, Ratings & Reviews increase the traffic to your website, providing SEO value. SEO helps consumers discover your business once they search for specific keywords in search engines. One of the leaders in SEO research, Moz, has found that reviews account for 15 percent of all the ranking factors Google considers.

Nowadays, customer review management is crucial for a business to function. 

We recommend using a review management tool such as FeedCheck to help you monitor all the reviews in one place at just one click distance. 

Customer review management and product review management services will help you:

  • Enhancing credibility
  • Increase leads (grow sales and revenue)
  • Reduce the cost of using conventional marketing methods like paid ads
  • Address directly to the consumer
  • Perform marketing analysis

Our review monitoring platform sends you alerts showing the reviews your products/services are receiving in real-time and you can also respond directly from the FeedCheck application. It is important to respond to reviews because:

  • It shows you are professional
  • Valuable feedback can be used for future enhancements
  • May convert delighted customers into brand endorsers
  • It boost your reputation
  • Grow your exposure and increase brand awareness

Today, reviews are one of the most important determinants of a business’s success. 

Consumers are the ones who contribute to the growth of your business and for this reason, you must take their opinion into consideration and not take the criticism you receive as harmful. Feedback needs to be taken into consideration, no matter if it is positive or negative, and you should attempt to remedy any possible issues with your product or service.

Your clients are your allies, with their help, you can develop a successful online reputation. Be respectful and fulfill their needs. Consider all the reviews that your product or service receives and try to be increasingly better in order to rank at the top. 


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