What are people saying about you online? If it’s not what you want to say, how do you change that? Do you even know? Is your online reputation a good one that attracts clients, or a bad one that scares clients away?
Online credibility is important because we want to boost positive brand recognition and gain clients instead of repelling them.
We need to boost our business credibility because clients and vendors are going to check you out online. They’re going to put your name in the search engines and see what comes up. They’re going to find out as much as they can about you. They’re not really seeking information about you because they have your information. They’re seeking confirmation that you are a business professional of integrity, and the confidence to affirm their decision to work with you.
Use online credibility to your advantage to see what people are saying about you. As you step away and take a wider survey of your business, you may be surprised at how your business from others’ viewpoint. Finding out others’ opinions can be an important tool that you can use to manage your business. And also, it’s a tool you can use to discover what customers think.
How do you respond to negative reviews if you happen to get one?
- Determine if the complaint is legitimate. Is it a customer who had a bad experience with your company or with you?
- Apologize. Don’t be afraid to use the phrase “I’m so sorry.” A little bit of apology goes a long way. But then move on, don’t dwell on the mistake.
- Make it right. Do what you can to fix it. Offer to correct the mistake if possible, or show another type of generous gesture.
- Be kind and show you are a real person that cares. Always act out of a sincere and genuine heart to help others. They will know you are authentic!
What do you do when you get negative reviews?
- Make people feel good about themselves even if the customer is wrong or if they made a mistake, don’t put them down.
- Build trust over time. When customers see that a product has 2 bad reviews but 100 good ones, they realize a pattern of mostly great products.
- “Show, don’t tell” means that instead of just saying, “Oh, we offer great service!” You should show how you’ve gone out of your way, and bent over backwards, to over that great service.
- Dispute the review with the web provider if possible. Note that this can be a long and arduous process which may never be resolved.
What NOT to do?
- Do NOT respond to mentally unstable people
- Do NOT be arrogant or egotistical
- Do NOT call names or insult others
- Do NOT spend negative energy on people who don’t matter
Remember the 3 M’s:
- Monitor your online reputation.
- Manage any negative reviews.
- Maintain your online credibility.
Be proactive and keep up your positive image so that you stay at the top of the search engines as a positive company. If there are negative reviews, be proactive and get a lot of positive reviews so the negative reviews will sink down to the bottom and become irrelevant.
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