SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEWS The Proactive Approach—Why do they matter? How can we improve them? By: Megan Boyd, Mr. Appliance® Communications Manager
I n today’s world, your online presence is never turned off. It’s visible to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So are the reviews customers write about us. But, do they really matter? What impact to they have on revenue? The answer – they absolutely matter. Take a look at the star rating graphic from reputation.com. As you can see, 87% of customers said that a favorable review confirmed their purchase decision. Four out of five consumers said negative information they read online changed their mind against making a purchase. And how is revenue impacted? According to research by reputation.com, having one higher star rating meant a 5-9% increase in revenue for businesses polled. Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about what to do when you receive reviews. Just like your business, you are the owner of your pages, and it is up to you to decide how to respond. Listen360, an outstanding tool for online reputation monitoring, was rolled out by our Brand Manager Dusty Williamson. If you are not using it, reach out to your Franchise Consultant for some tips. Also, your Local Marketing Specialist, Rachel Chaney, is an excellent resource if you find yourself with a social media conundrum at the local level. You can email her at rachel.chaney@dwyergroup.com. For negative reviews, to post a reply in a timely manner that demonstrates to future customers that you have a desire to fix their concerns. Nobody is perfect. But if your reply shows that you want to understand the customer’s needs in every situation, readers will give you more trust, and be more likely to do business with you. But you may ask, “How can we be more proactive? I don’t want to just sit around and wait to respond to negative complaints.” That’s a great point. And on that note, be sure you reply to positive posts as well. Thank customers for taking time to post their compliments because, as our previous graphic shows, their kind words mean dollars in your pocket. Dusty has shared an article in this issue of Toolbox magazine with some great tips on how and why we should always respond to both negative and positive customer comments and reviews. I strongly encourage you to read it.
reputation.com
The Challenge I am also proposing a good offensive tactic that I’d like to challenge every franchisee to consider. CLICK HERE to download a letter template you can customize for your business. This is a document you can use as an email or as a snail-mail letter to send to your favorite customers. You know who they are—those customers who tell your technicians that you guys hung the moon, the ones who have used you repeatedly, etc. Please consider sending them this letter. In it, you can add your local Facebook page link and request a 5-Star review. Also, we’ve included a line asking for positive reviews on the corporate page. Each review matters. A customer’s words are priceless, and each 5-Star rating you get will help to bring your overall average up. In today’s world, you must plan a good offense and a good defense to protect your online reputation. So be proactive and respond to all customer comments and send the above letter to your favorite customers. Don’t sit around and wait for the ball to drop in front of you. Pick it up, and run with it!
TOOLBOX® | EDITION 1 2017 15
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker