3 WAYS that bad reviews could actually benefit your company
So, you've spotted a bad review, and you’re worried that this spells the end of your business. After all, customers only go by good reviews, right? Now there's absolutely no way you can attract as many customers now compared to when all your reviews were 5 stars. Well, that might be true to some extent. However, a bad review doesn't have to be that bad. In fact, if you respond correctly, bad reviews can be positive for your customers, think constructive criticism here. But of course, not all reviews are made equal, and some can be more devastating than others.
Here are three good reasons why bad reviews are great for your business:
1. A Bad Review Is a Chance to Improve Your Business
If you see that your business is doing poorly based on the reviews you see, then naturally you'll want to do something about it. If you listen to your customer’s experience, whether negative or positive, you can find out what you’re doing well and what you need to improve on. If you understand what needs to be improved to make your service or product better from your customer’s perspective, then that bad review has actually made a positive impact on your business! See what we mean?
Put simply, use both positive and negative reviews to learn about what your business needs to work on, and to show your customers that you really care about their experience.
2. A bad review can make you look more legitimate
Think about it, do you believe in a business if it only ever receives 5 star reviews? Does a negative review once in a while make your business look more legit?
This means, if you are a new business, a bad review can actually be good for your startup. Why? Well, customers put a lot of time and energy into posting a review, whether it be positive or negative. A bad review can be a good way to help demonstrate that your company is legitimate because it shows that your customers aren't afraid to tell you when there is a problem. Additionally, it tells your customers that your business is genuine, and you aren't simply deleting bad reviews or faking only good comments and feedback!
Rather than tarnish your reputation by having bad reviews, it can prove that you are a genuine company that responds to both good and bad reviews. And also a company who cares about their clients and which takes responsibility when necessary.
3. It Actually Increases Positive Reactions
Did you know that customers can easily tell if a bad review is actually a toxic one versus a constructive one? What does this actually mean? It means that when a customer sees a toxic review, they may end up wanting to support your business even more. It is not always easy, but never reply to toxic reviews in an angry or unprofessional manner. These types of comments are just there to get on your nerves, and if you respond in a professional manner, genuine customers will always have your back!
Conclusion
In the end, negative reviews have their place and will happen to the best of us at some time during our business lives. However, there’s no need to shy away from bad reviews, see them as constructive criticism, and when tackled properly these reviews can help you to improve your customer service and your business! Negative reviews can be a great marketing tool to make more customers feel like they trust you and should buy from you!
Remember, your local business’ success depends on driving enquiries and visits from customers that live, work and travel nearby. Online reviews are how today’s customers discover, evaluate and trust businesses. Whether it’s Google, Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor or Rated People. LocalMark can help identify your happiest customers and make it easy for them to share their experiences on the most important review sites. We’ll also help identify any unhappy customers to help you to manage your negative reviews in a positive manner and improve your customer’s experience.
LocalMark offers local SEO for service, trade, and retail businesses, helping them grow locally online to achieve success. If you're looking for a local seo agency that can help grow your reviews, get in touch with us today.