Great Feedback? Deems a Great Response!

Don't get caught up in just those (hopefully few) bad reviews.

A good or bad reputation can mean the difference between your business thriving and expanding, or closing your doors for good. In this digital age, your business’s reputation is controlled by consumers using online review platforms like Google, Yelp and Facebook to announce the quality of your business to the masses in a very public way. The good news is allows you as well prepared business owners to easily monitor and manage your online reputation, a power that can be put to good use by responding in a timely manner to the reviews your business receives.

While negative reviews often get this most attention, positive reviews are even more important! It’s important to respond to positive reviews to thank customers for taking the time to review your business and to encourage others to do the same.

With 92% of consumers reading reviews online, businesses can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. A strategically-effective response will help ensure that a happy first time customer becomes a regular, and 70% of complaining customers will come back if you resolve the complaint in their favor. The first step is engaging with them.

So, How should you respond to positive reviews?

It’s simple. Thank the customer, name drop, promote and tell the customer what to do!

Give a personal thank you and be specific

• No one would let a compliment pass them by in real life. Apply that same principle to a review response! And make sure to reiterate your customer’s compliment. This let’s the customer know that a real person took time out of their day to acknowledge them, and that feels good.

Use the business name and keywords

• Don’t miss out on the opportunity to drive your business SEO up in search results—positive reviews work wonders in search. Referring to your business name, location and category (restaurant, coffee shop, hotel, etc.) helps index that review online.

Market, market, market...did we mention market?

• Is your business famous for a certain secret sauce? Are you having a promotion next month? A review response is a great place to get the good word out.

Give your customer a subtle call to action

• Not as scary as it sounds. Invite them to try something different the next time they visit, or bring a friend!

As you can see, there’s a lot of hidden potential in a positive review response. Instead of one advertisement to rule them all, each review is an opportunity to sell your business!