Consumer reviews are a very powerful tool. According to BrightLocal’s 2014 Local Customer Review Survey, 88% of 2,000 consumers rely on reviews to determine the quality of local businesses. 93% also mentioned that they check reviews before shopping or dining, at times reading up to 10 reviews before spending a single cent. As consumer reviews grow popular, businesses need to ensure that those regarding their products, services and overall brand do not deter clients from coming to them. Therefore, you need to be ready to write responses to your reviews whenever possible.
Your responses matter since reviewers may be waiting to hear back from you. And not only to defend your brand, but to also show your gratitude for their business. Unfortunately, not many brands have mastered the art of responding to reviews. If you have a tough time with this aspect, let the following lines in this guide you around it.
Where to Hunt for Reviews
Before you can respond to consumer reviews, you need to know where you can find these. The following are the major platforms users post reviews on:
- Yelp
- Citysearch
- Yahoo! Local
- Google Maps
- Angie’s List
- TripAdvisor
- OpenTable
- Epinions
However, some of these are more suitable for specific industries. For instance, TripAdvisor showcases travel-related reviews. Another thing to keep in mind is that reviews can also make their way to forums, message boards, and blogs related to your industry. Since there are so many, have a few Google alerts with your brand name set up so you can tell when your business is mentioned online. You can also use social network specific tools such as Twendz or TweetDeck for Twitter to ensure that you never miss a single mention
14 Commandments for Writing Effective Review Responses
Responding to online reviews of your business is like walking a tightrope while juggling a bunch of flaming sticks. This is because communicating with clarity is not everyone’s forte. Most people have trouble finding the right words or the right tone. Even top companies get this wrong only to end up with a PR disaster if things get out of control. Therefore, everyone prefers prevention over tackling reputation issues head on.
Unfortunately, you cannot please everyone. Therefore, you need to get your hands dirty and respond before your brand plummets. Now, not every marketer is knowledgeable or social media savvy enough to craft perfect responses that will make the customer instantly happy or improve the reputation of the business. We at AOK Marketing understand this, which is why we have PR experts available to help clients manage their online reputations.
From our extensive experience, we have formulated one of the most effective strategies to respond to reviews effectively. Our strategy comprises the following 14 points, which we like calling the 15 commandments of responding to reviews. Stick to them and you are well on your way towards becoming a media savvy guru.
1- Keep it Short and Sweet – No need to write a novel. Be polite, state how your brand feels about the review in a polite and tactful way, and end the message.
2- Remember That Your Response Will Also Be Seen by People Other Than the Reviewer – Online reviews are bound to be viewed by your potential customers. Therefore, expect the latter to also notice how you have responded. Their buying decisions will be affected by this element too, so give your responses some thought before typing them out.
3- Be Sure to Thank the Reviewer for their Comments – Typing out a review, whether positive or negative, takes time. Therefore, acknowledge their effort with at least a simple ‘thank you’. Even if you find yourself face-to-face with a pointless rant, respond to it in a courteous manner to win over the rest of the online community reading your exchange.
4- Do Not Become Defensive While Addressing Negative Reviews – Despite how hard you try to please your clients, avoiding criticism is close to impossible. You have to rise above the situation no matter how negative the review. Even if the reviewer is being a total jerk, that is their choice. You have to rise above it while responding. A valuable tip in this regard is to assume you are writing public relations content and respond with your best work.
5- Avoid Replying to Negative Reviews Immediately – Though you should respond soon, no need to rush your reply. Take your time, re-read it a couple of times, then respond. You do not want a reputation as a business that allows its emotions to control their decisions. This is especially true if you are a B2B marketer.
6- Do Not Take the Issue Offline – Simply telling negative reviewers to call you and discuss the issue is a bit like whispering in front of dinner guests – it is downright rude. Besides, it will show your clients that they can easily weasel a settlement or freebie by pointing fingers in your direction. Since you have nothing to hide, respond publically. You can give your customers the option of continuing the discussion offline, but do not make it the only option.
7- Do Not Get Personal – The reviewer might have been emotional when they wrote the review. They may even be related to someone working for you, aiming to hurt them by pointing out their employer’s shortcomings. Mark these as inappropriate and initiate the process to get them removed. However, do not lash out or get personal while replying to these or else your brand will be negatively affected.
8- Do Not Offer Gifts – Do not trying thanking positive reviewers by offering them freebies like gift certificates, promo codes, discounts, etc. It will make others believe that you are bribing your supporters even if that is not your intention. A sincere ‘thank you’ is all your supporters need, so be generous with that.
9- Humanize the Situation – It is perfectly okay to admit a mistake and apologize. Humans are not perfect and most of your customers will realize this. So, humanize the situation if it calls for it.
10- Get the Response Reviewed by an Objective Third Party – If you are questioning how effective your current response is, get another person to check it. Ask them to view the response from the customer’s point of view and work with their feedback. The further away they are from your business, the more valuable their input will be.
11- Do Not Be Afraid to Take Ownership – Business is not always fair. However, that does not mean that you should hide until things turn out your way. Instead, show that you are responsible for your company and can take ownership of the situation. Many reviewers just want the business to listen to their feedback, so be there for them.
12- If You Cannot Win, Be Open to a Lose-Lose Situation – At times, there is no good response to the situation at hand. In this case, simply express your regret and be sincere while hoping that things would have turned out differently. Do not forget to mention that you will keep the highlighted issue in mind when making future business decisions. If the customer turns to slander or begin abusing you, you are well within your rights to ban them from your social media page or report them.
13- Link to Supporting Content – Provide links if you refer to any specific policies in your response. If you do not have a good FAQ page available on your website, create one so that you can send your clients there. Just avoid using industry jargon and ensure that it contains easy-to-read rules and policy descriptions.
14- Politely Ask the Customer to Edit the Review – Only do this once you have sufficiently addressed the issue and are getting a positive response from the reviewer. Do not ask them to delete what they wrote; rather request them to simply add how your company resolved the situation. If the issue involved a misunderstanding or is unlikely to happen again, then do your best to address it and then ask the customer to give you another chance.
Tips to Make Your Responses Truly Matter
The goal of responding to customer reviews is to maximize conversions. These responses have to carry a message that is aligned with the overall goals of the brand while creating an opportunity for you to talk to future customers as well as current ones. To reap the benefits of responses, incorporate the following five pointers.
1) Ensure that Your Responses Facilitate Sales
Whether you are interacting with customers on your own website or across external channels such as Google or Yelp, this is the moment where you have all the control. While composing your response, your first priority should be to customize it according to the compliments or concerns voiced by the customer. The second thing you need to keep in mind is to highlight the value your business provides. That way, you can invite the reader to explore more and learn about your products/ service.
Here is a basic step-by-step guide for writing a good sales-oriented response:
- The response should have an enthusiastic tone and convey gratitude.
- A great way to connect with the customer is to use the same words to describe your product as they did in the review.
- Add power keywords to your responses.
- Consider pitching new versions of the product or similar products if you think the reviewer will not lash out on you.
- Provide links to any multimedia content which may be of interest to the reviewer and ultimately other prospects.
- Include some insider information if possible, such as release dates, sales dates, new promotional campaigns, etc.
2) Take the SEO of Reviews in Mind
Frequently search for keywords that you have designated as important sources of revenue. If your customers have been using these to write their reviews, chances are that their content is the first that pops up whenever prospects search for your brand name or the industry you are in. Therefore, you need to tackle these reviews first before creating an SEO strategy that can help limit the damage of negative reviews to your reputation.
3) Especially Pay Attention to Negative Reviews
Customers read reviews in order to glean unbiased opinions about a business. However, expect your prospects to search for negative reviews as these give them a better idea of your business. Therefore, make sure to handle this type of reviews first. Whenever you find one, be it through Google alerts or searching for your brand name/list of keywords, treat it as an opportunity to clarify and communicate with the customer in a helpful and earnest way.
4) Track Traffic Origin to Get an Idea of Value
Once you have created and rolled out a great review response strategy, the next major step is to track which review platform is responsible for sending traffic to your main website. The main KPI you need to watch is the number of conversions. Do not forget to keep an eye on the most popular or often-read reviews on each reviewing platform.
5) Get the Help of a Proper Team and the Best Tools
It is tough managing interactive engagement channels. Most small businesses simply do not have the people, budget or tools in place to deal with the avalanche of reviews. Do not worry, though; online reputation building and management is easy if you have the right experts helping you out. Proper tools such as our Review Manager will further help you keep track of multiple feedback platforms.
Contrary to what you may think, reviews can easily help your business rather than bring it down. However, it is up to you to decide which direction they lead your brand. Therefore, be smart while responding to your clients to achieve and maintain an impeccable online reputation, ensure the growth of your client base, and win the hearts of your prospective and existing clients.
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