Anonymous or Fake Negative Review Options

Promoting your business is hard enough without having to deal with negative reviews, but the serious impact bad online feedback can have on your revenue makes it all the more important.

Those of you who have read my blog know the basic steps I recommend for reaching out to a reviewer. Sometimes though, the person who wrote the review did not use his or her real name making it much harder to mend bridges.

Some options for handling anonymous or fake reviews:

• Private messages - Many of the review websites allow you to log into your business account and send a private message to the reviewer. Be careful what you send him or her - you want to be kind in everything you say, show that you care and that you want to make things right. 
• Public posts - Similarly, many of the review websites will allow you to post a public response if you have claimed your business page. Be DOUBLY careful what you post publicly. Your audience is not just the person who wrote the review, but all of the public and what you say will impact your impression on prospective clients. 
• Flag the review - Some of the review websites allow you to mark a review and send the website a comment on why you believe it violates the websites usage policies. For example, if the review is not about that person's specific experience (they are commenting about something they heard about someone else's experience), or if the review contains threatening or offensive language, you can explain this to the website and they will consider removal. The decision still remains with the website though and they will not sift through mountains of evidence to try and decide between a "he said, she said" situation. 
• If you are certain that the review is fake or if it contains libelous statements, recent court rulings may help you determine the person's identity or legally push the review website to remove the review. As Small Biz Trends explains, the ruling does not automatically remove reviews, but it does provide business owners who have authentic issues another option for proving their good standing. 

Negative reviews are often painful, but consistent attention and proactive measures can help you promote your business online and develop a solid reputation. 

www.impressionsrm.com