Negative Reviews: An Inherited Mess

Negative reviews are tough enough to swallow, but harder still when they weren't your reviews - they belong to the previous business owner!

Negative Reviews Compliments of the Previous Business Owner

You were bright-eyed and idealistic as you bought a business that was struggling and you were determined to turn it around. Unfortunately, the business also had a reputation that you have inherited and it's hurting your online reputation and impacting the number of new customers willing to come through your doors. 

What should you do?

• Claim all of your review website pages - You need to have control over what is being displayed on these sites so that you can direct the conversation and reveal the changes and improvements you've made.
• Post a note on every one of the review websites that the business is under new ownership.
• Reply to the existing negative reviews - Express that you are sorry they had the experience that they did and let them know that you have purchased the business with the intent of improving the service and products offered. Let them know you don't approve of the treatment they received either and that you hope they will give you a chance to show how different the business will be. 
• Read ALL of the negative comments and use that feedback to guide your plans for improvement. 
• Start building your new reputation - As you have new happy clients, ask them to write reviews for you so that, when people go online, they see new comments and evidence that the new owners have turned the place around. 
• Monitor your review websites daily - Be sure to publicly thank the people who leave positive notes for you and to address any comments that voice concerns by offering to speak with the customer offline. 

Grow Your Reputation

As time goes on, your reputation will stand on its own and the memory of the previous business owner will fade. You have the choice of growing a solid reputation both online and off, but as is true with anything worth doing, it will take diligence. 

Claim your business listings, monitor for new reviews, and interact with customers who take the time to write reviews for you. Listen to your customers and use their feedback to positively impact your local online advertising!

www.impressionsrm.com 

Local Online Advertising - Be Happy!

Local Online Advertising with Positive Reviews

I love TED Talks. As I laughed my way through this one, I realized that the information Shawn Achor shares is the perfect starting place for growing local online advertising through positive customer reviews:

• Happy business owners are productive business owners who lead by example and set the tone for their employees. 
• Happy, productive employees result in satisfied customers.
• Satisfied customers leads to positive reviews.

Enjoy Achor's humor and consider how you can incorporate his research into your business to improve your reviews and strengthen your local online advertising.

Promote Your Business - Listen Up!

#promoteyourbusiness #internetmarketing #onlinereviews

You used to be able to promote your business with billboards and fliers and ads of all kinds. Now, if you want to promote your business in the digital realm, you need to be listening and responding to your clients.

Step One: Listen up! Your clients are giving you feedback on websites like Yelp, Yahoo Local, and Google+ among many others. Take the time to read the reviews they have left and use their feedback to make business improvements.

Step Two: Join the conversation! Nothing speaks to business-client relationship better than seeing that a business is responding to a client review. If it's a positive review, say "thank you" and let them know how much you appreciate their kind words. If it's a negative review, ask the person to contact you so you can work towards mending bridges. You will solidify your client loyalty and others researching you will see that you really seek to serve your customers.

Step Three: Ask for more! Approach your regular clients and ask them to leave review on the major review websites. You will get more information you can use to make your business even stronger and the reviews will serve to strengthen your ratings and promote your business through online word-of-mouth advertising.

Your clients have come to you looking for a quality experience. Show them that you are listening to their needs, concerns, and to what they value, so that you can provide the best possible services and products for them. Online reviews are powerful. Promote your business with them today!

Ann Pearson, CEO
Impressions Review Managing, LLC

What are your questions on managing your online reputation?

Are you confused about online review websites? Wondering what happened to reviews that disappeared? Not sure that reviews are impacting your business? Have tough negative review to handle?  Post your questions below - I will do my best to help!

Online Review Sites Provide Free Marketing Opportunities

Small businesses don't have tons of money to spend on marketing, so we tend to be very careful where that money gets spent and watch for ways we can maximize free sources of marketing. 

Online review websites offer one of those opportunities!

The vast majority of people turn to the internet to research products, businesses, and services. No doubt you have a website to help get the word out about your business, but does it rank high in Google? When you type in your business' name, do you get more than one Google result that would attract potential customers?

Online review websites like Yelp, Yahoo Local, Google+ Local and many others give your customers a place to leave feedback, tips, and information for others interested in using your services or buying your products. These websites have set up a page just for your business by pulling information from public records or third party data aggregators. They have also made it possible for you to claim that page, update the information about your business, and even respond to your customers who have left comments. 

Take the time to visit each of the major review websites for your particular industry. Many of these sites do not charge a fee for claiming your business' page and making updates.

You can also generate positive web content by starting a YouTube channel where you post instructional videos for your clients. Think about the common questions and concerns your clients have - can you do a video to help?

Social media sites like Google+, Facebook, and Pinterest are great places to promote your business and connect with customers and having a page on each of these sites generates another link to your business that will show up in search engine results. 

Depending on the nature of your business, your staffing, and comfort with technology, many of the positive web content options can be used at no-cost to increase your standing on search engines and your presence as an expert in your field. 

Ann Pearson is the CEO of Impressions Review Managing, LLC, a company committed to empowering small businesses to use online reviews to increase their online presence, improve business practices, and market services or products. For more information on IRM's services and programs, visit www.impressionsrm.com.