How to Respond to Negative Reviews Online

In the day and age of social media, your online presence is important. It can be disheartening to log in only to see a bad review of your company that you have worked so hard to build. In many cases, the natural reaction is to become defensive and want to strike back. While that tactic may serve you in your personal interactions online, it does more harm than good as a business owner or representative.

A better way to handle bad press

Generally, bad reviews are a customers way of venting. They are upset for whatever reason and need to be heard. It is important to remove the ego from this process and look at what the person is saying. Is there any legitimacy to it? Can you help rectify the situation?

Acknowledging their grievance is a great step towards resolution. The fact is clients who are acknowledged, no matter how frustrated, give you a second chance to turn the situation around and show that you do care about those you serve.

Many people once shown some compassion and consideration will actually either delete or write a follow-up comment on the initially bad review. It is best to look at bad reviews as an opportunity to open a conversation and spur growth. Sometimes it can even be a problem that you were totally unaware of otherwise and this gives rise to the opportunity to head off more issues at the pass and in reality, this seemingly “bad” review, has actually done you a favor.

The fact is that negative input can sometimes be more helpful than simple praise. Thank them for replying at all.

If you take steps to change something within the company because of their comments, let them know and follow up on the thread itself so others know as well.

Don’t feel like dealing with online reviews, content management, keeping your website up to date, or writing your own blogs? We understand – it’s a full-time job in and of itself. That is where we come in. Our creative team here at Damonaz Design can do all of it for you at a fraction of the cost of hiring an in-house employee. Give us a call today at 239-244-8350 or email us at dz@damonazdesign.com to learn more. www.damonazdesign.com.