4 Tips for Online Business Review Management

No matter the size, scale, and sector of your business, you are probably already aware of the importance of online business reviews. In 2021, a full 90% of all customers will read an online review before purchasing a product or service. Not only that, but the importance of reviews to sales success rises as the price and value of the product rises.

Put simply, the better your product, the better your reviews need to be. This means that getting more reviews, more positive reviews, and higher quality reviews are crucial when maintaining a reputation. This is where review management comes in. Read on to find out exactly what you need to know about online business review management. 

1. Respond to Bad Reviews

Negative reviews are, quite simply, part and parcel of the everyday life of any business. You cannot keep everyone happy all of the time, so you must accept that there will be negative reviews on occasion. However, one thing that you can control is how you respond to them.

Remember, your response to a bad review will be publicly visible to everyone else and can be a chance to do some damage control or set the record straight. To learn exactly how to respond to negative reviews, have a look at the expert reputation management guide.

2. Respond to Good Reviews

Many business owners think that responding to reviews is only necessary when the review is negative and that positive reviews are simply a sign of a job well done. However, how you respond to positive reviews is crucial for your brand reputation.

High response rates to positive reviews will demonstrate that you are engaged and grateful or happy customers. This will also, most likely, encourage more people to leave positive reviews in the future.

3. Always Solicit Feedback

In any customer-facing business, the feedback you receive is your greatest marketing asset, as well as a powerful driver of improvement. That is why you should be proactively soliciting feedback from your customers whenever possible.

Have a one-click feedback pop-up on your website and a CTA on your email newsletters. Offer prizes and raffles for customers who leave more detailed feedback. Publish a poll or call-out on social media. These steps will make a difference.

4. Track and Audit Your Reviews

It is not just enough to stay on top of your reviews. You should be tracking all of them and utilizing them as the valuable pieces of data that they are. Even a simple review analysis tool such as Google Analytics can give you an invaluable birds-eye view of the general direction and sentiment of your reviews.

You can identify overarching themes to determine exactly what you are doing right and where there might be room for improvement. Integrating review audits into your working practices is essential for proactive reputation management. 

Beyond Review Management 

Now that you know the essentials of business review management, we are here to help you with the rest. In our in-depth Marketing guides, you will find expert advice and analysis on the latest marketing trends that will help to power your business growth in 2021 and beyond. 

Carol Gilmore

Carol Gilmore