When is the last time that you received a report card? Most likely it was during your school days, right? Well, today’s business owners may be surprised to know that the formal evaluation has reemerged in a very big way. Facebook reviews are gaining traction these days with more people leaving feedback on the public forum. To best leverage these reviews (both good and bad), you’ll need a strategic reputation management strategy in place.
Facebook Review: How Facebook’s Ratings System works
On most business pages (save those that have been deactivated), there is a review section for consumers in the form of a star rating system. People choose how many stars to give the company (more is better) and include their rationale for the rating. Ratings are then incorporated into the Facebook EdgeRank system. EdgeRank incorporates affinity (interaction between the user and the brand, weight (importance of that action), and time decay. The EdgeRank algorithm impacts organic reach and brand visibility including if and where your posts will show up in users’ News Feed. Since star ratings directly impact your EdgeRank, the more reviews that you have, the more potential to boost your brand awareness and attract new customers.
What impact do these reviews have?
According to the 2013 Local Consumer Review Survey, “85% of respondents said they read online reviews for local businesses and 79% of respondents said they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.” Additionally, 73% of respondents said positive reviews make them trust a business more.
Your business clearly wants good reviews. Who doesn’t want more people (especially potential customers) to be exposed to your accomplishments? When people see the glowing reviews of your existing customers, it adds a level of credibility and integrity to your company.
However, ratings also pose the risk of negative reviews or even fake ratings. These public bad report cards can be damaging to a business, especially if it’s not handled correctly. After receiving one, some companies may even be tempted to turn off the review functionality, but this should be a last resort. Blocking negative feedback prevents brand transparency, and brand transparency is something consumers are demanding like never before.
How should you respond to negative Facebook reviews?
First and foremost, fine-tune your Facebook notification preferences to ensure that you can see all of your reviews as soon as they post. By doing so, you will see everything that comes in – good and bad. Then, remind yourself that a poor review is not the end of the world. A failure to develop an adequate reputation management strategy, however, is. From the most positive to the most scathing feedback, someone on your team should be dedicated to responding directly to your reviewers, especially the disgruntled ones.
Negative reviews, even the most upsetting, should be handled with grace and integrity. Responses should be sent privately and immediately to the person that posted the biting review, initiating a direct follow-up for a personal discussion. Come to the conversation with clarity on what happened and the solution to fix it. Empathy and understanding go a long way in bringing the customer back to your corner, even if a compromise is difficult (and sometimes impossible) to achieve. Once the issue has been resolved directly with the customer, respond publicly to this original star rating and feedback. Apologize for the situation and publicize the solution that has been offered to the customer, all the while reiterating the fact that your brand is deeply committed to the customer experience and satisfaction. This timely response will provide closure to the customer and to the public audience that has been watching this back-and-forth dialogue.
According to a recent Harris Interactive survey, 33% of customers that received a response from the company after posting negative feedback transformed their opinion and instead posted a positive review of the brand. The survey also found that 34% of these customers deleted the original negative review.
Of course, not all reviews are bad! Great reviews are amazing brand-building blocks and they go further than the best-placed advertisements. Be sure to respond just as quickly to the positive feedback and thank customers for their kind words and continued loyalty. Go ahead and offer them 10% off their next order for their support; it’s a win-win for both of you!
At the end of the day, wholeheartedly embrace the good and the bad reviews with an effective response strategy. This feedback is immeasurably helpful in tailoring your business and marketing strategy to stay in business for many years to come.
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Reference: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-reviews