LinkNow Media | Customer Reviews

The Web is Waiting For You

Month: August 2016

Is It Ever OK to Delete a Negative Social Media Comment?

deleteSocial media comments come in a variety of flavors. As a business owner, it’s your job to roll with the punches and respond accordingly. You can’t satisfy everyone all of the time, and you can’t stop people from sharing how they feel. Harsh criticism on the web isn’t a matter of if, but when. So, what is the best way to deal with a negative comment? Your knee jerk reaction might be to delete the negative social media comment and move on, but you need to fight the urge to do so. Here’s three ways you can take that negative comment and turn it into something positive:

Show How Far You Will Go

Sure, reading a scathing review about your business can feel like looking into the sun, but it’s also an opportunity to establish a positive reputation. When faced with criticism, it is important that you respond promptly. People are going to see that negative comment, and you don’t want that to be the only thing they see. Offer a sincere apology and a solution to their problem. In a sense, this is your side of the story. Show that you will go the extra mile to meet their complete satisfaction.

See it as an Opportunity to Improve

You know what they say, you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. A negative review isn’t only a chance to show how far you will go to meet a client’s satisfaction, but it’s an opportunity to improve your company. Writing off every angry client as crazy can seriously hinder your ability grow. We hate to break it to you, but your company might have shortcomings. A negative comment can shed light on that fact. If it does, let your client know how you plan on making sure it never happens again. In a way, they have done a huge favor by pointing out your faults, and it didn’t cost you dime.

Take The Conversation Elsewhere

While you may have created a company page for sharing promotions, related articles, and other updates, there is another side of the coin. Facebook also opens up the stage for your customers, and you might not always be a fan of their performance. Remember, deleting a negative comment is a no-go, but you do have the option of taking the conversation offline. Offer a sincere apology and simply ask for the client’s phone number or email address. Explain that it would be more efficient to address the issue by having a conversion in a more direct environment. By doing so, you’re more likely to see eye to eye.

Closing

There are some instances when deleting a negative comment is totally ok. If the comment contains highly offensive language or imagery, go ahead and make it a thing of the past!

How do you handle negative social media comments? Let us know.


 

3 Benefits of Using Glass Door for Your Company

glassdoorGlassdoor is a website where current or former employees can submit reviews anonymously about their company. It is often described as the TripAdvisor for HR, and is rapidly changing how we look at workplace culture. Typically, Glassdoor provides the following information:

  • Basic company information (size, location, industry, etc.)
  • Company values
  • Salary, compensation, and benefits
  • Workplace culture
  • Recruitment/interview process
  • Employee and former employee reviews (pros, cons, and advice to management)

Glassdoor is up there with other business-oriented platforms, like LinkedIn, and offers similar advantages for companies. Here are the big 3:

Strengthens Your Brand

Your company’s brand plays a significant role in who is going to submit a resume for hire. Likewise, your brand dramatically effects employee retention. If your employees are reluctant to recommend your company to a friend in real life, chances are they won’t on Glassdoor either. Complaints about management, upward mobility, and salary can really hurt you because the way your company appears online shapes how people perceive you. On the other hand, comments about a fun and positive work culture will strengthen your brand identity.

Attracts Job Seekers

Glassdoor is also a great way to find and keep top talent and discover new and qualified applicants.

When you receive a resume from a potential employee, you most likely look at their social media pages and check out their employment history, education history, and skill set to get a better idea of who they are. In the same way, when someone is looking for employment, they are scoping out a prospective business anyway they can: a company’s website, Facebook page, LinkedIn company page, and Glassdoor profile. Beyond wage and benefits, they are looking to see if they are a good fit. Company photos and employee reviews can be a deal breaker in whether or not they’ll apply.

Improves Employee Morale

Your business is only as strong as your employees. Rewarding your employees, either through recognition or compensation, is a surefire way to boost morale. Encourage your employees to write reviews about their experience. Sometimes all it takes is one happy worker to write a good review, for the rest to follow suit.

Keep in mind, you’re bound to get negative reviews from time to time. Job candidates will see that, so it’s important that you respond to them. In doing so, you are not only having a conversation with a former employee, but a prospective one. Ultimately, the types of employees that you want working for you, are ones who will not agree with unjust criticisms.

Closing

It’s not a good idea to strong arm your employees into writing positive reviews as an attempt to counter balance the negativity. People are more intuitive than you may think when it comes to online reviews. You’ll be losing out on top talent as well as your reputation. Stay candid and honest and remember communication is key!

3 Reasons Why You Should Share Yelp Reviews on Facebook

yelp yelpFacebook is a great platform for enhancing your brand image, sharing ongoing promotions, and building meaningful relationships. If you manage your company’s Facebook page and post regularly, you are likely already doing these things. However, can you be doing more? If you have a Yelp profile, you should consider sharing your customer’s positive reviews with your Facebook friends. This is one area that many businesses shy away from because it involves tooting your own horn, but you shouldn’t be afraid to share what others are saying about you, especially words of praise.

If you don’t like the idea of boasting your achievements, here are three reasons that might change your mind:

Your customers will love it!

Yelpers take writing reviews very seriously. They see it their duty to help others by sharing their experience with your company, regardless of if it was positive or negative. So, what’s in it for them? Besides perks, like free food at restaurants, Yelpers don’t really get paid. Putting a Yelp reviewer in the spotlight is like giving them a virtual slap on the back. They will love the limelight, and this exposure has the potential to opens doors of opportunity.

It’s free and easy advisement!

Word of mouth is still the best form of advertisement, and it won’t cost you a cent! Plus, Yelp makes sharing reviews via Facebook as easy as clicking a few buttons. All you need to do is log in to your business account, go to “Account Settings”, click “Change Settings” in “External Services,” then click “Connect to Facebook.” From there, all you need to do is log in to your Facebook account and click the “Allow” button. Now, all of your Yelp reviews will post to your Facebook wall. That means negative reviews, too. This something that every business will have to deal with at one point or another, even businesses with high ratings. Look at it as an opportunity to show your customers that you will go the extra mile to find a solution and fix a problem.

Others will follow suit!

Sometimes all it takes is one happy customer for positive reviews to spread like wildfire. A positive review can encourage a Facebook friend to comment or head to Yelp to share a similar experience. Sharing your Yelp reviews on Facebook grants you access to an audience you couldn’t reach on Yelp alone. Keep in mind, if you don’t want to automatically share reviews, you can always copy and paste the review as a status.

Closing

While Yelp may be more popular for those in the food and beverage industry, any business of any size can benefit from creating a Yelp profile. Once created, your customers can easily find your business location, post reviews and photos, and rate your business! Let them do most of the legwork. You work hard enough!

 

 

3 Ways to Attract Online Customer Reviews

email 2Positive customer reviews are important. How important? Consider this: 88% of consumers are influenced by online reviews. That means what your customers are saying about you online plays a HUGE role in the buying process, for better or worse. The key to getting positive reviews is, well, doing a good a job. It’s that simple. Put your customer first, deliver excellent service, and offer excellent products. Many business owners tend to overthink getting positive reviews and will go to great lengths to get them, even if that means going against Google’s guidelines.

Here are three legitimate ways you can attract online customer reviews:

Make forms easy

People like writing reviews. Whether sharing a good experience or bad experience, a majority of people will take 5 minutes out of their day to let others know if your company is worth their time or money. So, throw them a bone. Make it easy for them. Unless someone has something really bad to say about your company, no one is going spend time looking for a place to write a review. Create profiles wherever you can: Yelp, LinkedIn, Yahoo Local, Google Local, Trip Advisor, and Angie’s List. It’s also helpful to integrate a testimonials page on your website. This will allow a customer to leave a review with ease, and it’s a great way to boost your ranking on search listings.

Offer incentives

When it comes to online reviews, you need to be ethical. If you’re a startup, you may be tempted to buy positive online reviews. Quick word of advice: don’t. If your customers can’t spot the fakes, online review sites will. Not only will that cost you your reputation, you’ll also have to pay a hefty fine. Fake reviews are fraud. Why shoot yourself in the foot? Sometimes, all your customer needs is a little push to write a review. Offering an incentive, such as a discount on a future service, can be that extra thing that gets them sharing their thoughts about their experience. If you have a physical storefront hang up posters to let them know about the contest, or you can share it on social media.

Share reviews

Creating a company Facebook page is free and easy –  there is no reason why your business shouldn’t have one. It’s a great way to enhance your brand, share ongoing specials and promotions, and build and maintain relationships with your clientele. It can also be used to share positive reviews. Your customers will love being in the limelight, and their good word will motivate other satisfied customers to follow suit. It’s a win-win.

Closing

Online reviews are the new word of mouth. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely people are to choose your company over local competition. Keep in mind, that you will get a negative review from time to time. That’s life. See it as opportunity to show your clients that you care about your company by finding a solution to their problem.

3 Reasons You Should Not Buy Fake Customer Reviews

3 reasons you should not buyPositive customer reviews greatly impact the purchasing process and are essential in running a successful business. 92% of consumers read online reviews when searching for a service or product. What customers are saying about you on Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Amazon can be a deciding factor in whether or not you’ll be getting a phone call. The more positive reviews your company has the more likely a consumer is to choose your services or products. Not to mention, they help to move your website up on search result pages.

Given all that good stuff, it is not surprising that there are a ton of fake customer review writing companies for hire. If you’re a startup, you might be tempted to pay for such a service to get the ball rolling. Here’s three reasons why you shouldn’t:

Your Customers Can Spot Fake Reviews

Your customers are on the ball when it comes to reading online customer reviews. Fake reviews sound fake. They tend to be short, generic, and not at all helpful. A phony comment isn’t hard to spot, and it can wind up costing you your reputation. If you have glowing reviews about your customer service, but the beat on the street is otherwise, something clearly isn’t adding up. Lying to your customers is not a good way to earn their trust. You’re setting yourself up for failure.

Review Sites Are Smarter Than You Think

As much as it might hurt to see the dozens of online reviews your competition has, the age-old adage applies here: quality over quantity. It’s better to have a few real positive reviews than a hundred fake positive reviews. If your customers can’t spot the fakes, online review sites will, and that’ll cost you much more than your reputation. Fake reviews are fraud. Getting caught writing fake reviews comes with a pretty hefty fine. Why risk it?

You Miss the Opportunity to Have a Conversation

Reviews come in all types of flavors, both good and bad. Your job is to respond to them. A positive review is an awesome opportunity to provide your customers with a thoughtful thank you. And, while negative reviews suck, they’re a chance to show that you care about your company and will do what you can to find a solution to their problem. This type of engagement and interaction isn’t possible with fake customer reviews.

Closing

Making a good name for yourself can take time. If you are a new business, don’t get discouraged. Reviews will come. Negative reviews, too. See them as an opportunity to improve. It’s better to be flawed than fake.

 

 

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