Fake Reviews: Fooling Only Yourself

Writing fake reviews is not only unethical and illegal, it also hurts your reputation even worse than simply ignoring your online reviews.

Writing Fake Reviews

I just had an interaction with one of the nastiest business owners with whom I have had the misfortune to meet. He has numerous negative reviews on the web and refuses to accept what is being said by his clients on social media sites which really are not that bad of comments and could give him the tools he needs to make business improvements and significantly impact his influx of new customers. He is rude to those he deems beneath him and it shows in the interactions I have experienced and it is echoed in his online reviews.

Instead of making changes and using the feedback he is receiving, it appears he is writing and having others write fake reviews for him. The more I work with reviews, the easier it becomes to spot the fakes and his simply scream FAKE.

Obviously it's unethical. It's also been the subject of court cases by Yelp - cases they have won and that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

Recognizing Fake Reviews

How can you tell if a review is fake? Sometimes you can't, but when you see multiple reviews using language that's not common to everyone, it's a pretty good sign that the reviews are being written by someone or a few people who have insider knowledge about the industry for which they are writing. 

For example, when you see several reviews all posted in close time frame of each other and every one of them mentions a specific service or product being offered by that business, you could be seeing fake reviews:

• I love that this place has flexible hours.
• Isn't it great that the hours are so flexible?
• Their hours are way more flexible than ABC Business.
• Their flexible hours make it easy for me to visit them!

Handling Fake Reviews

So, if you think a series of reviews are fake, what should you do? 

Several of the review websites like Google+ and Yelp allow you to "flag" a review. You can click a button that looks like a flag and then you will be given some options on why you are flagging the review. It doesn't necessarily mean that the reviews will be removed, but the website is more likely to take a look and investigate further. They are also pretty good about letting you know if they agree with you and will remove the reviews or if they think there is not enough evidence to warrant removal. 

What's a Small Business To Do?

It IS frustrating when negative reviews are posted on websites and social media about your business. You pour your life into this business and oftentimes the review is not entirely based in fact. Negative reviews have a huge impact on sales and the temptation is to cheat a bit. 

Just like your offline reputation though, your online reputation will be in jeopardy if you choose to try to cheat your way to the top. Instead, you can take control of your online reputation and build it ethically into a solid representation of your quality products and services. 

Don't sell yourself short. Take control and use online reviews to advertise your excellence. No amount of fake reviews will overcome a true strong online presence. 

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