Everyone knows that we need reviews – preferably good ones.   Review sites like Google, FaceBook and Yelp give consumers a way to share their experiences.   Both good and bad.  The question that most marketers still seem to have is how to respond to a bad review.  And that’s what I’ll be sharing in this video.

(Prefer to just read?  just scroll past this video).

Knowing that consumers rely on reviews to help them discover great products and services, I believe it’s incredibly important to respond to every review you get  –  and especially the negative reviews.  Not convinced you should respond to a bad review?  Here’s the latest stats:

Did you know that 94% of consumers say that a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business?

But get this  –  45% of consumers say they’d be more likely to visit that business if they respond to negative reviews.

The risk that you run by NOT responding to bad reviews is this – future customers are watching and seeing if you’re trying to make things right.  If you’d choose to act like an ostrich, stick your head in the sand and hope it goes away, they’ll start thinking “hey – what if my purchases goes south?  Are they going to ignore me too?”

I’d like to encourage you to respond to negative reviews before they drive current and potential customers away. If you do this, consumer perceptions can dramatically improve, making it more likely they will come and visit your business.

Here are 5 tips for responding to a bad review:

1): respond quickly  –  most consumers expect a response within a week.  And besides, potentially customers are paying attention to see if you are.  

2): don’t lose your cool  –  stay polite and professional at all times

3): personalize your response  –  this is as simple as just including their name in the reply

4): thank them for the feed back.   This shows that you’re human and help de-escalate a situation.

And finally;  stick to the issue,  offer to make it right, and ask for a 2nd chance.

I know this all takes time and you’re already maxed out.  One way to streamline this process is to create a pre-written template that you can use that has the bulk of your response already written.  Just personalize it with their name, maybe even address the situation, and then copy & paste.  

So there you have it – why you should respond to every review and few tips on how to do it – all in  under 3 minutes.