Customer Satisfaction

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The Truth about Negative Reviews Online

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Everyone who owns a business has dealt with one or two bad reviews at some stage… and then there’s those who have dealt with more than just a few. It’s unpleasant and overwhelming to say the least. Some reviews are warranted while others aren’t. According to Moz, whether you have experienced negative reviews or not, the most important thing for a business is to have a strategy for, if and when the time comes. Why? Because often when we receive negative feedback our very first response isn’t always the most intelligent.

Negative Reviews aren’t THAT bad…

Even though it might feel like a kick to the stomach, negative reviews aren’t the end of your business – don’t shut up shop just yet! A few negative reviews can actually have a positive impact on your SEO, yep you read right… a positive impact! Here’s why Negative Reviews aren’t as bad as you think:

  • The more reviews you have on Google and Web Design Brisbane, the better it is for your local ranking. So, good or bad, it’s still another review and will still positively impact your Search Engine Optimisation. In saying this, if the negative reviews, were positive, this would obviously be better for your SEO and reputation management.
  • According to Search Engine Journal, too many overly positive reviews can create suspicion. Have you ever seen a bunch of dramatically positive business reviews and thought… hmm this looks a little fishy? As reviews are such a huge decision determinant in this digital world, people know that there are fake reviews, there are employers who get their employees to write reviews and of course there are businesses who tactically try to take down their competitors by reviewing them unfavourably. Basically, a couple of negative reviews in the mix, can increase credibility. And, much to your surprise, people do know that nothing is ever perfect and mistakes can happen!
  • Negative reviews, or rather, recurring negative reviews are an opportunity for change. Even if you take it as an opportunity to connect with customers more and offer your apologies and perhaps something for their troubles, this is still a positive change. It’s very important that you let negative reviews fuel you positively. Don’t let them cause you anger or frustration, remember you are a business owner – it’s not always going to be smooth sailing. It’s not about what comes your way, it’s about how you deal with it and this is exceptionally true when it comes to dissatisfied customers.

How to Cope with Negative reviews

1. Take Control of the Situation:
As previously mentioned, responding to reviews is crucial. This means regularly monitoring and managing your Google My Business and Social Media accounts and staying updated on your review activity. According to the Google My Business support page, businesses should “interact with customers by responding to reviews that they leave about your business. Responding to reviews shows that you value your customers and the feedback that they leave about your business.”  This statement is then followed by “high-quality, positive reviews from your customers will improve your business’s visibility and increase the likelihood that a potential customer will visit your location.”

Further, a 2018 study by Trip Advisor, show hotels that responded to reviews received 12% more reviews and their ratings increased by 0.12 stars. However the Local Search Association recently reported on a 2018 consumer loyalty survey that found most consumers expect a brand to respond within 24 hours. So, as we said, regularly monitoring your Online accounts is extremely important.

2. Learn from your Mistakes! 
Receiving a negative review is always an opportunity to grow as a business! Identify the root cause of this customers review, how, why, when and who it involved, and take steps to improve this area of your business. Perhaps you might discover a flaw in your employee training, or a miscommunication somewhere along the line which can be a lesson learnt for everyone involved. Another cool way to see the silver lining is to source inspiration from your negative reviews for social media/blog content. If you’re noticing a recurring complaint, and it’s something that people are perhaps doing incorrectly or can do differently for a better result, turn it into posts and blogs and teach people.

2. Remedy Remedy Remedy:
If there is some merit to a bad review you have received, offering something for their troubles shows people that you acknowledge their disappointment and are willing to right your wrong. However, even if you don’t believe there is any merit to a negative review, it is still crucial that you reply. Inspired by Moz, here are some of the Do’s and Dont’s of responding to bad reviews:

Don’t
  • Blame the customer
  • Shift blame onto your staff
  • Accuse the customer of lying or exaggerating
  • Refuse to apologize
  • Refuse to be accountable
  • Use unprofessional language
  • Write a long-winded response
Do
  • Apologise
  • Empathize with the distress they express
  • Accept complete responsibility if you believe there is merit
  • Offer something you think might make amends if the customer would be so kind as to give you the chance (a refund, a meal on the house, a replacement product)
  • Express your commitment to fixing any issues that have been raised and explain what you will do/have done to remedy them
  • Be as transparent and honest as possible about the cause of the mistake
  • Let the customer know you eagerly invite further in-person complaints and feedback because of your commitment to offering them a great experience
  • Keep it brief but sincere

Removing Fake Reviews

Removing fake reviews isn’t always straight forward and can require different levels of persistence case by case. Here’s a general step by step guide that we have used to remove some of our clients fake Google My Business reviews:

1. Respond 

As we have mentioned, responding is the first step. In the case of it being a fake review however, explain that you know it’s a fake review, with evidence and that you are taking matters further as this is not a true representation of your business or services.

2. Report the review

Click on the flag next to the reviewer’s name to get to a page where you can report the review as a violation of Google’s TOS. Fill out the form, using your business email address for the contact information. This works better if you can flag the review on a number of different Google Accounts.

3. Contact Google

If within 24 hours the review has not been removed, call Google to get results.

4. Go the legal route

If by this stage, nothing else has prevailed, fill out a legal form request. You can find this at support.Google.com/legal. Be persistent, and continue following up and eventually you should have success.

 

So, hopefully by now, we have calmed your fear of negative reviews and you can see that if dealt with properly, they can actually be an extremely useful and productive learning curve for your business. Get in touch with the SEO savvy team at YDS for a free consultation to chat about how you can optimise your Google My Business and stay on top of your reputation management system.

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Looking to increase revenue at your business?

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Here at YDS we absolutely love hearing about our clients success stories. Every business is vastly different and it’s our job as a Digital Marketing Agency to break down each business model in order to understand how we can effectively implement digital marketing.

 

Our wide variety of clients means that we have experience marketing a range of different business types. We have clients from the Medical Industry, Construction Industry, Property industry, Retail Industry, Finance Industry, Hospitality industry to more niche markets such as specialised Apps, and revolutionary first-time products.

 

We have been working with a local business – that supplies the Construction Industry, (Builders and Home Owners) – for 4 years now. Over that time, they have gone from an annual revenue of $300,000 to now, just under 2 million. As a Digital Marketing Agency in Brisbane, this is what we strive for at YDS so we love it when all the Digital Marketing hard work pays off.

 

Through a combination of best practice SEO, Website Design and Google Ads we have been able to successfully help this business with significant growth. The mix of both SEO and Google Ads ensures they have been covering all bases regarding search engine efficiency. Additionally, we recently rebuilt their website as it was 4 years old and needed a refresh, and we have only just begun Email Marketing campaigns in attempt to reach an even larger audience.

 

As a Brisbane based Digital Marketing Agency, we work with our clients to successfully reach their goals, whatever they may be. If you’re looking for a No BS, Brisbane based Digital Marketing Agency, Get in Contact with Your Digital Solution and let’s take your business to the next level.

Contact Enquiry

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Tips for Building and Maintaining Healthy Client Relationships

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Client Relationships are unique, they’re different to a relationship with a friend, a partner, or a family member. The development and maintenance of Client Relationships can make or break your business, so learning how to build a rapport is of extreme importance. So, why is it so important? You may yourself know business owners or managers who have shocking customer service or struggle to follow through with their promises. Learning how to communicate and build relationships with clients and reach common ground, leads to the formation of a relationship your client will respect and appreciate. In this article we will provide tips on how you can improve your relationships with your clients. As a Digital Marketing Agency, at Your Digital Solution we can assist in your digital business digital marketing strategy. Improving your overall digital strategy can have a positive impact on the way in which you form relationships and generate leads.

 

Focus on Communication:

Communication can be tricky. Especially when everyone is different, and everyone receives messages differently – no matter how you intend a message. Sending a message and receiving a message can be two completely different things, even if you’ve done your very best to be received in a particular way. The key is to be conscious of your body language, your facial expressions and the kind of messages you are sending. Focus on the client and tailor your message to them (yep I’m talking about speaking). For example, if you’re speaking to an older person who perhaps can’t hear particularly well, it might be best to speak in a louder tone, but at a slower pace and using simpler terms to ensure they can understand exactly what you mean.

 

Stay in Touch & Share Knowledge:

Staying in touch and reaching out on a regular basis can be extremely beneficial in upholding a successful business relationship – even if it’s just to check in. It’s surprising how deeply people appreciate a regular check in. But of course, these check-ins can also lead to further business, added sales or more leads. Additionally, sharing knowledge with them can be a great way to break barriers and show them that you see them as an individual.

 

Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep:

Possibly one of the most important pointers of all, no-one appreciates being let down or being taken advantage of. Don’t push yourself to please everyone, because it can often lead to customer dissatisfaction and lost leads. Ensure you only promise things you are certain you can manage. Setting boundaries is extremely vital if you want to be successful. Ensure you know when someone is asking for too much and you’re able to recognise when you step away or simply advise them that you do not have the time.

 

Maintain Positivity but Set Boundaries:

No-one appreciates negative body language or negative comments, especially when it’s someone they’re relying on. Make sure, if you’re having a bad day, not to emit your emotions. Be kind to everyone around you and learn to control your moods, negativity can drive people away and create bad word of mouth.

 

These tips, while simple, create the foundations for a successful business attitude and therefore a successful business. Communication, rapport, body language, setting boundaries and positivity are all foundational things you need to focus on and practice in business. Ensuring you can manage yourself and your relationships with clients, makes it much easier to manage the overall business. See our other posts about good online marketing strategy below….

Being a Good Gardener for Your Business

Is Your Business Suffering Growing Pains?

Help Your Small Business Grow!

Staying On Top Of Your Digital Marketing Workload

Contact Enquiry

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Brisbane get found online

Is your business suffering growing pains?

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A couple of weeks ago we spoke about Aussie innovation. Innovation comes about because someone is not happy, and they can see a better solution. So unhappy customers must see a better solution too, right?

Well read on because they do! After working with clients on finding their unhappy customer moments, we are finding that it leads to a blind spot you never knew you had, but unfortunately your customers knew all about it. Great news is you can then get on and fix it.

Find your blind spot

We have used the following thought starters to find blind spots to help our clients’ business’ grow. By making a group of unhappy customers happy, we have made the experience for all of their clients better.

Look for the “Friction”

Look for where customers get stuck, frustrated or they simply miss out on some benefit they expected.

1. STUCK: Customers get “stuck” in all sorts of ways. They are typically informational type issues and great spots where digital innovation can help. Approaches such as Six Sigma can help to identify how to improve perform here.

What to look for in your business; Depends on what customers are looking for. Where is your address to collect my order, when is my order arriving, are you open today or what time do you close, do you have this item in stock? This information has to be on your website, it must work on mobile, has to be correct and it has to be updated at public holidays.

2. FRUSTRATED: Points of frustration are where the promise we made to our clients in our marketing is too far removed from what we delivered. This can be in a product feature or in a service delivery. The promise can be made on the packaging or via our sales staff. And hey, we all over-promise at times, getting sales is hard, but overplaying our hand rarely leads to loyal customers (readers of last week’s column on branding should know this). And I think Aussies especially like to call out any BS they see in excess hype.

What to look for in your business; A great example is fast food photographs on the menu board, compared to what actually comes out! Take away their frustration by lending an ear, provide a feedback point such as a “service quality” email address or via social media to capture this sentiment and listen for how you are going.

3. UNMET EXPECTATIONS: Another common friction point is where we are not meeting customer expectations. The hardest thing with these expectations is they can be set by your competitors, and customers that shop around know about them, and they don’t necessarily tell you, they just disappear.

What to look for;  Failing to deliver fully on service promises can be hard for management to track. Ideally you run constant customer feedback surveys. These can be online or via tear sheets that go into delivered goods and services. The best companies do these for every customer interaction because they want to know and understand the problem for one customer today is a growth opportunity for many customers tomorrow.

Turn those frowns upside down

So start looking for the unhappy customers, not dodging them. Actively listen to their frustrations and as you turn those frowns upside down, you might send your revenue line up as well!

 Next week we will cover off how we consciously innovate around the opportunities we have uncovered.

See our other great articles about digital and online marketing below…

Help Your Small Business Grow!

Staying On Top Of Your Digital Marketing Workload

Build Health Client Relationships

Be A Good Gardner For Your Business

Digital Marketing Brisbane

 

Mark Jones is managing director of Your Digital Solution.

If you have a question for Mark, email streetsmarts@yourdigitalsolution.com.au

As first published in Townsville Bulletin, February 11, 2016 12:00am – Used with permission.

Contact Enquiry

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Brisbane get found online

Growing your business with unhappy customers

, , , ,

A couple of weeks ago we spoke about Aussie innovation. Innovation comes about because someone is not happy, and they can see a better solution. So unhappy customers must see a better solution too, right?

Well read on because they do! After working with clients on finding their unhappy customer moments, we are finding that it leads to a blind spot you never knew you had, but unfortunately your customers knew all about it. Great news is you can then get on and fix it.

Find your blind spot

We have used the following thought starters to find blind spots to help our clients’ business’ grow. By making a group of unhappy customers happy, we have made the experience for all of their clients better.

Look for the “Friction”

Look for where customers get stuck, frustrated or they simply miss out on some benefit they expected.

1. STUCK: Customers get “stuck” in all sorts of ways. They are typically informational type issues and great spots where digital innovation can help. Approaches such as Six Sigma can help to identify how to improve perform here.

What to look for in your business; Depends on what customers are looking for. Where is your address to collect my order, when is my order arriving, are you open today or what time do you close, do you have this item in stock? This information has to be on your website, it must work on mobile, has to be correct and it has to be updated at public holidays.

2. FRUSTRATED: Points of frustration are where the promise we made to our clients in our marketing is too far removed from what we delivered. This can be in a product feature or in a service delivery. The promise can be made on the packaging or via our sales staff. And hey, we all over-promise at times, getting sales is hard, but overplaying our hand rarely leads to loyal customers (readers of last week’s column on branding should know this). And I think Aussies especially like to call out any BS they see in excess hype.

What to look for in your business; A great example is fast food photographs on the menu board, compared to what actually comes out! Take away their frustration by lending an ear, provide a feedback point such as a “service quality” email address or via social media to capture this sentiment and listen for how you are going.

3. UNMET EXPECTATIONS: Another common friction point is where we are not meeting customer expectations. The hardest thing with these expectations is they can be set by your competitors, and customers that shop around know about them, and they don’t necessarily tell you, they just disappear.

What to look for;  Failing to deliver fully on service promises can be hard for management to track. Ideally you run constant customer feedback surveys. These can be online or via tear sheets that go into delivered goods and services. The best companies do these for every customer interaction because they want to know and understand the problem for one customer today is a growth opportunity for many customers tomorrow.

Turn those frowns upside down

So start looking for the unhappy customers, not dodging them. Actively listen to their frustrations and as you turn those frowns upside down, you might send your revenue line up as well!

 Next week we will cover off how we consciously innovate around the opportunities we have uncovered.

 

Mark Jones is managing director of Your Digital Solution.

If you have a question for Mark, email streetsmarts@yourdigitalsolution.com.au

As first published in Townsville Bulletin, February 11, 2016 12:00am – Used with permission.

If you want to learn more tips about digital marketing read below…

How To Choose Keywords In Competitive Markets

Long Tail And Search Engine Optimisation

Google changes of Feb 2016 have changed how we should compete

6 Tips How To Use Email Marketing Effectively

Why Google My Business Is So Important

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4 Simple Ways To Keep Communication With Customers

Six Writing Hacks for Better SEO Content

Google Rankings Make or Break Tips

Fast Getting Faster Change For Business

Three Measures of Marketing Success

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Yoast Search Engine Optimization WordPress Plugin

Never Stop SEO

Faceboook Ads Get You Found

Online Marketing Strategy Brisbane

Contact Enquiry

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