Well, according to B2B Magazine (Feb 2011) a negative customer review on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook can cost a company 30 customers.
It's a elegant without grandeur scary statistic isn't it?
Social media is a onerous way of sending your marketing messages to a expanded audience. From Facebook and Twitter to YouTube, in that place's no arguing with their effectiveness in erection brand awareness, generating enthusiasm for a consequence, spreading the word about a novel service. Until you fall foul of a negative notion, that is - and then it feels like in that place's no place to hide. Because each awful lot of people are going to observe it.
Making a complaint used to mode writing a Mr or Mrs Angry alphabetic character to a company's customer advantage department or returning to a fund to demand a refund. It was largely a special interaction between two parties, unless you told a scarcely any friends to never use that especial company or you had a slanging equal with the store manager and attracted a of great size crowd.
But now, even the idea of just one person can be shared with hundreds or even thousands of other customers.
The apprehend of bad customer experience
Such is the concern factor of negative online reviews that it's to all appearance one of the most common concerns that crops up while I discuss the use of blogging and familiar media as part of a marketing design with many of my clients. Nobody wants to put to hazard their reputation or the possibility of loss or alienating customers because of a negative online ~al, but shying away from social media presents (potentially) ~y even greater risk - that of losing out on exposure to an formal reception that you may not otherwise penetration.
It may feel like you slip on't have full control of your brand - and it's true, you don't. Total control is history - they days of pushing exhausted marketing messages and expecting your auditory to simply listen and do the kind of you want are long gone. What we be seized of now is a two-way conversation. And that's priceless.
So at the time can a negative review be a unimpeached review?
Online reviews give you trice access to your customers' thoughts and feelings. You be able to get a good understanding of to what extent customers perceive your brand/service/products, and ALL feedback - pretty large or bad - provides a way of measuring result and ensuring continual improvement of your function.
If someone does leave a negative annotate, don't feel humiliated or upset. Okay, that's complying to say and you probably be disposed feel hurt for a while. But eat slowly yourself up and look on it for the re~on that an opportunity. Yes, really.
A buyer has brought something to your study - you may even not have been sensible of it, so this is your possibility to make a positive change near that element of your service or consequence. Show that you're prepared to attend - offer a refund, replace a faulty item, do whatever is necessary to bestow your customer a sense of discharge. Be considerate and sincere in your response. Get it right and you be disposed actually build greater customer loyalty and be credulous. Others will see that you positively care about keeping your customers felicitous. And that negative will become a imperative.
Speed is of the essence
This morning I came across a negative inspect of a lettings agent in a individually attractive part of London (strictly study, I'm not house hunting!). It was left without ceasing Google Maps by a very disgruntled occupier in September 2010. The agent had written an excellent and well considered response and I would desire held it up as a textbook reply had it not been for the real existence that it was written in April 2011 - seven months later! And in the same state they committed the ultimate sin of not monitoring their reviews and not nipping problems in the sprout.
Think about their business for a instant. If someone is looking to rouse into an area, the odds are they are going to Google limited estate agents, so that one survey will have been on display (in total its glory and unanswered) to everything who were looking for rental property in a leafy crotch of London. I'd lay bets on how many were completely turned not on by that tenant's opinion of the active element's service - or lack of. For seven months! And peradventure beyond, because it won't straightforward be me that's noticed the slowpaced response time (could come across viewed like just a tad arrogant, perhaps?!).
This archetype demonstrates just how important it is to manage your renown online. Always, always, always monitor the reviews you give credence to and act immediately on any that are negative. Post a response and then take it offline to endure the dialogue and fully resolve the number. If you're lucky, that buyer will then feel compelled to scrawl a new review about the extremely good customer service they have just received.
And finally…
However bad it may subsist, do resist the urge to take away a negative online review. Customers power of determination be suspicious of reviews that are nihility less than glowing. Follow my advice and even negative reviews will end up working in your favour.
