There are plenty of things to consider when running a new business. So much so that it can be easy to get sidetracked and neglect quite a few aspects. It’s understandable, as running a business can often feel like you are being pulled in every direction. Fortunately, there are plenty of examples involving successful startups, and most of them have a pattern of success.
Understanding that pattern will help provide a roadmap for how a new company experiences standout success in a competitive industry. While it might be a bit confusing, it would be wise to take things one step at a time and maintain a steady pace to ensure success.
For example, one of the most important parts of business management comes from online reputation management (ORM). From review generation and review monitoring to how to appropriately react to reviews, ORM is undoubtedly one of the most important parts of running a business.
Why is it so important?
The easy answer to such a question is to consider how the Internet works. When someone is looking for products, they’ll want them to be from a reliable business. They find a total of ten reviews stating that the product is dependable. However, they also find two reviews saying that the company is unreliable.
It might seem like the pros outweigh the potential risks, but they keep looking and instead find another company offering similar products with three positive reviews and no negative reviews. Most will immediately go for this business. Even if the other had more positive reviews, even a single negative piece of feedback could convince someone to give another company a try.
How do I avoid a negative review?
The ironic thing is that it’s practically impossible to avoid a negative review. The other company had no negative reviews in the example above, but it was likely new and will probably receive a negative review eventually. All it takes to gain a negative review is for someone to have a bad day and decide to take it out on the company. It’s unfortunate, but even the very best products and services have their fair share of negative feedback.
Instead of avoiding a negative review, it’s about doing one’s very best to look forward and make changes based on constructive feedback.
How do I stop my online reputation from being tarnished by a negative review?
That’s the million-dollar question and one that can be answered with two words: genuine consistency. A company that wants to get better will listen to constructive feedback and get better. Being sincere about one’s desire to improve is one of the best ways to improve. For example, a business can use review monitoring services to get an idea of the company’s positive and negative reviews, but how best to respond to negative reviews is the key to success. A few tips for responding to a negative review includes:
- Offering compensation. If the customer has a legitimate reason to be angry or dissatisfied with the product, offering compensation is typically the best way to go. A replacement product is often the way to turn things around.
- Offering solutions. If a replacement product isn’t necessarily going to fix the problem, it would be wise to offer solutions based on their review. While it might change depending on the feedback, it’s well worth the effort.
- Maintaining a professional tone. Do not respond to a negative review with hostile intent. Keep in mind that as a business, it’s crucial to be as professional as possible.
If the company makes a habit of responding to negative feedback and offering solutions, it will result in positive press even if the reviewer no longer answers. The best scenario is if the reviewer no longer replies, as the company no longer has to keep engaging and can move forward.
Review monitoring: How do I know how many reviews my company has?
While there are some obvious websites where reviewing companies is the name of the game, it isn’t immediately obvious where to start looking. As stated above, it’s the reason why there are businesses that use apps specifically through review monitoring. It isn’t easy to manually search for reviews, especially with so many websites dealing with reviews and feedback. The help of professional services can aid a company, even those that aren’t startups, and relieve much of the burden that has to do with online reputation management.
ORM can seem confusing at first, but it’s just about trying to please your target audience on the Internet. The only trouble comes from situations where a representative fights with a customer or other PR nightmares that can cause a company’s reputation to tank. Developing an understanding of online reputation management allows the business to focus on collecting positive reviews without incident.