Online reviews are one of the most important things for a new business or one that has recently released digital products.
Often, it takes a while for customers to purchase because they’re not confident the product will work for them.
Online reviews are so critical because they assure the potential customer that you can be trusted because real people have had positive experiences with you in the past.
Now, not all reviews will be positive, and therefore, you should learn to deal with these as well.
Let’s get started!
3 Things to Remember When Reading Online Reviews of Your Business
Positive reviews are amazing. Having a testimonials page on your website can really help with displaying them.
But, negative reviews can also provide you with things to work.
That being said, here are three things to remember:
- There is always room for improvement
- Don’t let your emotions blind you
- Respond to reviews positively
Let’s explore these a little more!
1. There is Always Room for Improvement
As the old saying goes…
It’s not personal; it’s just business.
This same mentality applies to the reviews you read about your company and its products/services.
It’s easy to take it personally. After all, your business is your baby and the product of all the hard work you’ve put in.
However, customers don’t see posting a negative or critical review as a revenge strategy against you.
It’s merely a way for them to express their experience to advise future potential customers.
Therefore, when reading critical reviews online, it is best to take advantage of them and understand that this is an opportunity to improve your company.
Say you begin to see a trend of customers stating that overall, your product or service was good, but the checkout process was unnecessarily long for their taste.
This is a major issue!
Reviews should guide how you improve your offerings.
For example, Mike Pearson from Stupid Simple SEO recently invested in a tool that would help his students merge the numerous CSV files they downloaded during their Ahrefs trial.
As there were many documented struggles with this, Mike used this feedback to create a better student experience, which it has.
I’m excited to try it out as I go through the course again!
2. Don’t Let Your Emotions Blind You
You can’t let your emotions blind you, no matter how hard they try to.
I know that you invested a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into your business, but I promise that your customers have laid out an opportunity for you through their feedback.
But, not all reviews are worth spending your time on.
To avoid wasting time, it’s helpful to carefully consider which reviews are worth your attention.
Sometimes, customers who have recently gone through an issue will go online and write a very negative review about your company.
This is often done in an emotional state of mind and may not truly reflect how your business conducts itself.
So, always make sure that what you are reading has actual constructive criticism and not just emotional hatred.
And, when you do come across reviews that just slam your business, remember not to let how you feel about that review guide your business operations if the review is unfounded.
3. Respond to Reviews Positively
After reading carefully through your reviews, it is now time to master the way you respond to them.
First, it’s to control your emotions.
After all, anything that goes online will be there forever, even if you delete it.
I’m reminded of the scandal surrounding Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and how Amy’s Baking Company responded so rudely to former customers and employees.
They got a lot of negative publicity, both online and on television. When offered the chance to clear the air, they didn’t.
It was a big lesson in how to NOT respond to online reviews.
Therefore, when responding to a customer’s concern, it is best to be as compassionate as possible.
You should also:
- Empathize with their issue
- Ask follow up questions regarding the topic
- Suggest they contact you directly in order to serve them better
By keeping it professional and helpful, other customers will begin to see that you’re the type of company that truly cares about their customers.
Conclusion
Online reviews are often what gets a small business going.
They are a source of both knowledge and marketing. Therefore, bloggers have to represent themselves responsibly and appropriately when responding to reviews.
The same pertains to blog comments, by the way!
Remember these three important elements to responding to online reviews:
- There is always room for improvement
- Don’t let your emotions blind you
- Respond to reviews positively
Are you trying to grow your blogging business? Contact me to schedule coaching services and I can help you succeed!
Cheers to your business success!
