Handling Bad Reviews Online: Practical Tips For Online Reputation Management
With the power of the internet and online reviews, anyone and everyone can post their thoughts and opinions about a business. This can be a good thing because good reviews can boost a brand’s reputation, but it can also be damaging when the bad ratings start to pour in. This is when finding a service for online reputation management Denver will be a smart move.
Sadly, not all online reviews are honest. Some of the very harsh reviews are personal attacks and very unprofessional. These can not only damage the reputation of a business, but can also cause some business owners to react negatively. Here are some tips all business owners should keep in mind when it comes to online reputation management and how to properly respond to harsh online comments:
1. Do NOT Reply Immediately
A common mistake business owners often make when responding to negative feedback is replying right away. When a reply is sent immediately, chances are it is defensive and angry, making your company look unprofessional, this just hurts your reputation further. Never reply while angry, so take a step back and clear your head before crafting a response. After some time, perhaps even after a night’s sleep, a better and more professional response can be sent instead.
2. Do NOT Ignore Comments
Ignoring negative comments is just as bad as replying right away because this show that you do not care about what customers think of your brand. Leaving the negativity to stay on your website or social media account might even encourage others to do the same. Address all the negative comments is a professional way.
3. Do NOT Delete The Comments
Deleting the negative comments only shows that you are guilty of something. Never do this as a part of a quick reputation management solution because it will not work. Chances are there is already a screenshot of that comment somewhere and it will resurface to haunt you in the near future. This is an irresponsible and unprofessional move that should be avoided at all cost.
4. Never Disable The Commenting Section
Preventing people to leave comments about your business will not stop them from saying ban and rude things about your brand on other platforms. Businesses who aren’t open to accepting feedback from their customers are seen as snobs and lose customers faster. Don’t disable the comments section, even if there are a few negative comments left behind.
5. Hire Professionals
There are times where trying to fix your brand’s reputation by yourself backfires and the negative comments start to pour in from every direction. This is when the reputation management services Denver professionals offer will come into good use. They have the experience and skills on how to handle situations like these without adding fuel to fire.
Hire professional reputation management services today instead of waiting for the negative comments to start coming in, you’ll thank yourself for thinking ahead and saving your business and the good reputation it currently holds. All business will have to face trolls eventually, it is just a smart investment to get ahead of them.