Human nature is a curious thing. We seem to be far more interested in the negatives in life than the positives. Think about it: Fall is nearly upon us. In some parts of the country, leaves have already started changing. The scenery is becoming more colorful by the day.
Now imagine you’re driving down the highway with all this beauty right in front of you. One would think you’d want to focus on that, right? But wait! What’s that up in the distance? Uh-oh! Looks like an accident. All of a sudden, traffic is slowing down. People are curious. They want to know what happened. The fall colors have all but been forgotten. Now, it’s all about the tragedy up ahead.
For whatever reason, we have a tendency to grasp onto the negative in a way that keeps us from noticing the much larger positives all around it. Be honest: At some point or another, you’ve been on Yelp or TripAdvisor looking up a restaurant, local business, or attraction. You notice that there are 100 reviews that range from average to excellent. There are about 10 terrible or poor ratings. Which do you investigate first?
There really is no way around this. Negative reviews are going to happen, and people are going to gravitate to them. Your job, as a responsible business owner or marketing professional, is to figure out how to draw value from those negative reviews. Don’t respond to negativity with negativity. There are better options, several of which I’d like to examine with you today.
If you really want to show your loyal customers or clients your true colors, you can use negative reviews to boost your reputation. You don’t need to argue, defend, or respond in kind. All you need to do is show concern and remain professional. That’s the broad advice. Here are some that are a little more focused:
#1 – Be Empathetic
The uncomfortable truth of the matter is that you will never be able to please everyone. Someone will always find fault in your product, service, business policies, etc. No matter what might have fueled that bad review, to the person who wrote it, the problem is real and it affected them negatively. It doesn’t matter if you did something wrong or not. Pardon the cliché, but you can’t please everybody.
In lieu of that, what you can do is listen. You can reach out. You can try to do something to make things right. In this instance, your best bet is to post a brief response that communicates your attention to the complaint and your concern over it. You don’t need to grovel. You don’t need to confess to an infraction. Just respond and be kind.
#2 – Remain Professional
Far too often, the knee-jerk response is to go on the defensive. If you honestly believe that the review is baseless, there are several things you can do before responding.
First, see if you can access other reviews by the same person. Do they have a history of leaving negative reviews? If so, it probably won’t benefit you to respond personally. You can also be reasonably confident that the issue isn’t originating with you or your business.
In this instance, you should address the concern in a more general way. Without going into specifics, you can state your position on a given issue either through your blog or on social media. Combining the two can be even more effective. That brings me to my next thought…
#3 – Start a Conversation
Leading with subjects that have spawned negative reviews, engage your audience about how they feel you’re doing. Clear a path for honest discussion. If no one speaks up, the problem is isolated to one or two naysayers.
However, if you start getting feedback that agrees with the review, you know it’s time to look a little closer. Define the things that are hot-button issues and deal with them. This communicates your desire to always improve on the customer or client experience.
#4 – Look for Patterns
As you read through your reviews, are there any situations at all that seem to crop up repeatedly? Even little things like how long it takes to respond to an inquiry or dissatisfaction with parts of your website are red flags that you need to address.
If people criticize things about your site, particularly things having to do with your content, you might want to consult with a reputable content marketing agency, like Beez. A second professional set of eyes could be just what you need to get things sorted out. Some of those problem areas include:
“There’s no information anywhere on the site about ___________.”
“They have an FAQ but there’s no substance to the answers. The page is also inundated with ads.”
“I was thinking about hiring this company until I took a look at their blog. STEER CLEAR. They don’t seem to really understand their business or their customers.”
All of the above lead to the same conclusion: You need help with your content. Conversely, if all of the above is in proper order, it’s far more difficult to be hypercritical. People will judge you and assign value to your services based on content delivery. This is why it is so important that you get – and keep – your online house in order.
#5 – Make Some Changes
As a final thought on this subject, I just want to re-emphasize something I’ve said many times in the past: Smart businesspeople and marketing professionals know when something isn’t working, and they make changes when necessary.
Set aside your ego. Forget about your personal likes and dislikes. Don’t perpetuate reasons for people to leave negative reviews. When the winds of change blow, you either learn to bend with them or resign to getting knocked down. I get the impression that, if you’ve read this far, you would rightly opt for the former. If you need advice or assistance, reach out to us. We’re here to help you earn the success you deserve.
