One of the greatest things about the Internet is that it's allowed people to share information and impressions with each other at an absolutely unprecedented rate. Review sites for different products, vendors, and services are popping up all over the Internet. If you run across something you're interested in buying, but haven't heard of before, or using a company you’ve never heard of, it usually only takes a few mouse clicks to figure out what others' impressions have been, which is a great thing...
As long as it's being done honestly and legitimately.
Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. There is a growing trend among some unscrupulous businesses to go online and post negative reviews about their competitors. Because these review sites carry a lot of weight with search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, it only takes one or two bad comments to put a major dent in your sales – online and off. Here are four things you can do to stop review sites from killing your online reputation:
Encourage reviews.
Of course, the best thing you can do is make sure every customer you have is happy with you, and telling the world about it. Just as bad reviews can kill your business, good ones can push it over the top and help you gather more customers than ever. In fact, a steady stream of strong reviews will usually drown out one or two instances of average or poor feedback, so do what you can to encourage happy customers to speak out.
Monitor the sites yourself.
You don't want to find out you've gotten a bad review weeks or months after it has been posted. Take a bit of time every couple of weeks – marking your calendar if that's what it takes to remember – and look through what customers are saying. It should only take you a minute, but the information you'll get is invaluable. Use tools like Google Alerts to monitor your reputation. Create alerts for your business name, key personnel or products.
Dispute malicious or incorrect information.
If someone has posted information about your company that just isn't true, then make sure to find it. Most review sites have set policies for challenging entries, and it's usually easy to have one removed if it's obviously been posted by a competitor or someone who hasn't done business with you. Again, a keen eye is your best weapon.
Take feedback to heart.
There are going to be times, of course, when you get a poor review and it's your fault. There isn't much you can do in that situation except trying to remedy the situation with the customer (who might in turn remove or edit their review), or vowing to do better in the future. Over time, your reviews will likely show a positive or negative trend, depending on how hard you're willing to work to improve your product or service.
Want to keep closer tabs on your online reputation? Ask us about ArcStone’s Reputation Management Services, which scans all major websites, and the web in general, for feedback and information provided about your company. It's the ultimate tool for any company that wants to make a positive impression on their next customer.
