Whether you run a private practice or a hotel, online reviews impact all businesses. After all, they carry just as much weight as a personal recommendation for most consumers. In fact, a considerable percentage of customers today tend to check what others have to say about specific brands before making any financial commitments on goods or services. And very few would even consider companies that have nothing short of a stellar reputation.

Beyond public perception, search engines also value reviews. It’s a factor that can affect the ranking of a website. Those with a lot of positive feedback are more likely to appear at the top of the search engine results pages because they’re generally considered trustworthy. Conversely, those that don’t may appear in lower positions. If you don’t stay on top of how people view your enterprise and monitor online reviews, not only will you miss out on the opportunity to establish trust with your target audience, but you may not even reach them at all.

For this reason, you must find ways to keep abreast of what people are saying about your brand. Just because you don’t hold sway over what customers write, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve got no control over the online reviews about your business. And we’ll discuss how you can go about the task and achieve the intended outcome in this article. 

Encourage happy customers to write positive reviews

There’s a greater chance for people who are dissatisfied to voice their opinions than those who have had positive experiences with a brand. Because of this, you can’t just rely on your satisfied customers to write up a testimonial – you must encourage them to do so. So make sure to let them know you would appreciate some feedback. Whether you do it at the end of a successful transaction or via a follow-up email, asking them to write a review can do wonders for your enterprise.

But don’t forget to respond to their feedback. Doing so will let them know that you value their insight and opinions. More importantly, you’ll encourage other customers to follow suit.

Negative feedback is an opportunity to improve

Negative reviews can be hard to accept. However, you mustn’t ignore them or respond in an argumentative way. Instead, treat them like the opportunities that they are to grow and improve your brand. Offer unhappy customers a resolution to their concerns, whether in the form of an apology or discount. It may not be possible to please all customers. However, the gesture will show people that you’re a professional and win you some new customers in the process. 

Monitor online reviews in major websites 

Let’s face it: it’s not feasible to keep an eye out for every review that people put out on your brand. Nor should you. What you should do is monitor online reviews on the most popular websites instead. You can also narrow down the sites to keep track of by limiting them to those in your specific industry. In this way, you’ll have a much easier time managing and responding appropriately to the reviews about your company.

Never post fabricated reviews 

You must never make the mistake of using Blackhat techniques like posting fabricated reviews about your brand. Apart from being unethical, it will also violate the rules and regulations of review websites. It may even get you in a legal mess. What’s more, many customers can see right through fake testimonials. And you’ll only arouse suspicion by doing so and end up irreparably damaging your company’s reputation instead of improving it.

Engage with users in social media 

It’s rare to find a business that lacks a social media presence in at least one of the major channels. The platform offers brands the opportunity to market their offerings and reach their target consumers, after all. But it also helps them engage with users, build trust, and transform them into loyal followers. In turn, it will be much easier to encourage them to leave some positive reviews about your company than it would have been otherwise.

Leverage your influencers 

These days, influencers are becoming an increasingly important commodity in the successful marketing of a business. With their feedback and followers, you can potentially attract a sizable following and monitor online reviews easier. However, it would be best if you still found influencers who fit your niche because choosing one at random won’t yield the results you want. In fact, it may have the opposite of the intended effect.

Conclusion

The buyer’s journey today is much different than it ever was in the past. These days, consumers place more value on the insight of customers rather than ever before. And this is why staying in control of online reviews isn’t just a luxury but a necessity for every company, regardless of size or trade. So be sure to follow the strategies above to monitor online reviews. it will help you keep your brand’s online reputation in good shape.