Businesses work hard to earn positive customer reviews. Some people may think that they’re a distraction from the work that needs to be done, but customer reviews are integral to a business’s success.
Thanks to the Internet, many different ways are available for people to voice their opinions. For example, they could post on your Facebook Business Page, give you a review on Yelp, or even write a blog post about their experience.
Since customers have a more significant influence on a business than ever before, it’s essential to know how to encourage them to write positive reviews. But what if you get a negative review? How does it affect your business? What can you do to manage it?
The Adverse Impact of Negative Online Reviews on Businesses
According to Brightlocal.com, a single negative customer review could cost a company around thirty customers. And that’s a lot of business to lose over one unhappy customer.
Imagine having multiple negative reviews on different platforms. The impact could be disastrous for businesses, both big and small. Additionally, according to Dimensional Research, 50% of the respondents were more likely to share bad experiences than good ones.
The study also found that these bad reviews could have a ripple effect, causing customers to avoid the company in question and businesses like it. In other words, one unhappy customer could potentially cost a business not just thirty customers but hundreds or even thousands.
Aside from these things, negative customer reviews can also affect the following:
Search Engine Ranking
Negative online reviews can hurt your business’s search engine ranking because these reviews will show up on the business’s Google My Business page. A negative review could be a simple comment, such as the restaurant is dirty or has terrible service, which would not take much for potential customers to see that information.
A single review alone may not decrease your business’s ranking, but if there are several reviews with negative sentiment, this could lead to a decrease. In addition, if the negative review is from a credible source, such as a well-known blogger or critic, this could also lead to a decrease in ranking.
Remember that Google’s only goal is to deliver the best possible results to its users, and if your business has negative reviews, it is not providing the best possible result. As a result, your website won’t rank as highly on the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty is one of the most important things for a business. It’s what keeps customers coming back, and it’s also one of the best ways to increase sales. And at its core is trust.
When customers are loyal to a business, they trust that the business will provide them with what they need. They know that they can rely on the business to be there for them, and they’re willing to stick with the business even when things are tough.
However, even loyal customers can be swayed by negative reviews or a bad experience. Other’s negative experiences with your business can make your loyal customers question their loyalty.
Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is crucial for any business, especially a small business. But what is brand awareness, and how do you create it? It’s simply the act of people knowing your brand exists.
Creating brand awareness is all about getting your name and message out there to as many people as possible. And positive online reviews can be a big help in getting your brand name out there.
Well, the same can still be true with negative reviews, unfortunately. However, it can adversely impact your brand awareness by creating a negative perception of your company and its products or services. It can lead to customers choosing not to do business with you and damage your reputation.
So, instead of trusting your brand, negative reviews can cause customers to lose faith in your company.
What Can You Do to Mitigate The Adverse Effects of Negative Reviews?
Businesses can do a few things to mitigate the adverse effects of negative reviews. One is to respond publicly to the review, thanking the customer for their feedback and addressing any issues they raised. Doing so will show other customers that you are taking the review seriously and are responsive to feedback.
Another thing businesses can do is reach out to the customer privately to try and resolve the issue. It will show that you are willing to go above and beyond to make sure your customers are happy, even if it means doing so outside of the public eye. Just be sure to respond in a way that is professional and respectful.
Additionally, the best way to avoid getting negative reviews in the first place is to provide excellent customer service. That means being attentive, responsive, and accommodating when possible. Ensuring that your product or service is high quality and up to customer standards.
If you can do all of these things, you should be able to avoid the majority of negative reviews.
Manage Online Reviews with KangoMedia
Of course, no business is perfect, and there will always be the occasional negative review. But by following these tips, you can help mitigate their effects and keep your business running smoothly.
At KangoMedia, we can help you get more 5-star reviews and turn those frowns upside down. We’ll show you how to encourage your customers to leave reviews and respond to both positive and negative ones. Trust us, a little bit of review management can go a long way!
Schedule a call today to see how we can help or visit our website for more information. We also offer other services like website design, web development, and local SEO.