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. 

Reviews Promote Your Business Online

People are turning to online reviews in droves both to share their favorites and concerns as well as to research what others are saying about products and services. Promoting your business online begins with an excellent, web-friendly website for your business, but people won't get to your website and eventually to your business if your reviews and star-ratings are less than impressive.

Let's look at the statistics:

• Depending on the study, anywhere from 79% to 97% of people are turning to the internet to look up information on products and services before they make a purchase. 
• About 80% of consumers trust online reviews as much or more than personal recommendations. 
• Having reviews (as opposed to having none) can increase sales 40%.
• In a study on assisted-living facilities, inquiries went up 550% for sites with reviews compared to those without!
• An increase of one star rating on Yelp can lead to a 5% increase in revenue.
• 89% of consumers are willing to pay more for products or services in order to have better customer service. 

Why wait any longer? Take control of your online reputation by claiming your business' online review website pages, monitoring what is being said about your business, interacting with reviewers, and generating new client feedback. 

www.impressionsrm.com 

Negative Reviews? Turn Them Around!

Negative online reviews are frustrating to the business owner and harmful to local advertising. Sometimes the reviews just make you mad and you'd like to take legal action, but that's not usually going to produce the results you want.

Creative Responses to Negative Reviews

One creative restaurant owner responded to a negative and offensive review that suggested his waitresses "show more skin" by saying that is restaurant would be offering a potato skin special with 100% of the proceeds going to a local rape-prevention organization. His response went viral and his point is well-taken - when negative reviews strike, it's not time to respond with anger even though that may be exactly what we are feeling!

Turn Negative Reviews Around

Thoughts to keep in mind when you are responding to a negative review:

• Respond and do so as soon as you can - A recent study found that 79% of consumers who shared their bad customer service experience online were ignored and that consumers give a brand one week to respond to a question and then 50% of them will leave and go to a competitor. 
• Calm down before you write your response - negative feelings come through easily. Go for a walk, play with the dog, do whatever you need to do to shake it off before you compose your response.
• Be nice - When you respond online, you are not only posting to the person who reviewed you. You are also posting for everyone considering your business who may be reading along. 
• Show that you care about the person and his/her experience with you. If you made a mistake, own up to it, apologize, and work to make it right.
• Ask for feedback on your planned post - ask a trusted friend or co-worker to look over what you plan to post before you put it out for all the world to see. Choose someone who will be willing to let you know if your response sounds angry or defensive and who will help you tweak your writing so you put your best foot forward.
• Generate new reviews - It's important that people reading your reviews see a balanced view of your business. Ask your customers to write reviews for you - you will gain their feedback and provide prospective clients with information on your services, products, and quality.

 Negative reviews are frustrating, but you can turn them around and build a strong online reputation.

Online Marketing - Social Media Blow Ups

Small incidents can become online marketing boons or busts with the relatively new power consumers have through social media and review websites. Take the example below.

A friend who is passionate about breast-feeding shared this story on her Facebook page as did many others and no doubt this particular Starbucks is enjoying an increase in business and the online word-of-mouth advertising is priceless!

Photo Credit: Julia Wykes

Starbucks customer complains about breastfeeding, gets owned by teen barista

We've all seen examples of poor customer service situations that get posted on social media or review sites and then it goes viral and severely damages the business. 

Paying attention to what your customers have to say can not only keep your business safe from one of these negative blasts, it can also give you the feedback you need to meet the needs of your clients and promote your business to new consumers!

#onlinemarketing #impressionsreviewmanaging

www.impressionsrm.com 

Web Marketing - Getting Great Reviews

#onlinemarketing #webmarketing #onlinereviews #onlinereputation

Yesterday's blog was about how your web marketing and business improvement can benefit from negative reviews, so it seemed right to touch on getting great reviews too.

Everyone wants positive reviews - what better way to promote your business than to let your happiest customers share their experiences?! The problem is that most of your customers do not understand the huge value online reviews are to your web marketing.

While I'm sure you could take the time to explain to your customers at great length (and no doubt to the point of boring your clients) the impact of your star-ratings and reviews to attract new customers, give you a higher ranking in Google, and solidify your online presence, that might not be the best way to gather new reviews.

Here are some tips to get your customers talking online:

• ASK! As you are finishing up with your customer, ask him or her to write you a review. They may have never thought to do so, but if you let them know you need and value their feedback, they will be much more likely to head over to Yelp, Foursquare, Yahoo, Google or any other site and leave you a note.
• Put something in the customers hands. Whether it's a business card that says on the back, "Leave us your feedback on our Google page" or a message on the printed receipt, you want the client to leave your business with something that reminds him or her when they put their keys and paperwork on their kitchen counter, that they were going to leave you some feedback.
• Consider offering a small incentive. You never want to give people the impression that you are paying them for their feedback, so keep it small and indirect - a drawing instead of something they will for sure be given.

Your most impressed and your least happy customers are going to write you reviews. By using the above tips, you should be able to get a nice share of your average customers to leave feedback too. This will give prospective consumers a well-rounded view of your business and it will provide you with the kind of feedback you need to serve your clients even better - the best in web marketing and business improvement!

IRM works with you to provide the level of support you need.
It's all about saving you time while promoting your business online.
www.impressionsrm.com

Online Marketing - The Road to Great Reviews

Web marketing is critical for your business, so you created an excellent website with all the bells and whistles. You made sure it has the information your clients need, and that it is aesthetically pleasing, has web-friendly content, and it works on mobile devices. However, if your business doesn't have solid reviews and a great star-rating, consumers will choose a competitor who does and they will never see the great website you created. You really need to have a strong online reputation, high star-ratings, and solid reviews.

Thankfully, there are many strategies for having great reviews to encourage people to check out your website and ultimately, walk through the doors of your business. The infographic below will get you started - check out our website for more help and support!

Impressions Review Managing empowers businesses to manage their online reputations through supportive services, staff development training, and customized programming. Visit www.impressionsrm.com for more information or contact our team at impressionsrm@gmail.com to enhance your web marketing today!

#onlinemarketing #webmarketing #onlinereputation

Got Reviews? - Online Marketing Ideas

Here in the Midwest, it doesn't seem like it, but summer IS coming and summer means more people are traveling and exploring new vacation spots with their families. This also means that small businesses need to focus on their online marketing ideas to attract those summer vacationers.

Picture how the typical family decides how and where to spend their vacation monies.

We've been driving for hours and we are all getting hungry...

• "Hey Hon, we are coming up on Eau Claire. Look up what they have for Mexican restaurants."

The dutiful spouse opens up his smart phone and...

• "Looks like we've got Azul, Cancun... OH LOOK! Tacos Juanita is a 4.5 star one! Let me look at what the reviews have to say..."

Now, I've been to Eau Claire and all three of those restaurants are great places to eat. So how can the other restaurants compete when Tacos Juanita has 29 reviews and a 4.5 star rating that jumps off the screen at the customer?

They, like every restaurant, hotel, and business that hopes to attract tourists need to have reviews and solid star ratings. When consumers have choices, why wouldn't they opt for the business everyone is talking about and everyone recommends?

There are many strategies for generating reviews, but the most important one is to ASK! People love to be asked for their opinions and they love to talk about the places they love. So, what are you waiting for? Start asking your customers to write reviews today!

Ann Pearson is the CEO of Impressions Review Managing, LLC - a company committed to empowering business to manage their online reputations. For more information about the services IRM offers, visit www.impressionsrm.com or email Ann at impressionsrm@gmail.com.