Every time I am looking at going to a new place to eat, to stay, to spend time in, I look at the reviews. I look at the amount of stars and I read what people write. If there is nothing but negative reviews there I move on. I am not interested in spending time at a place that isn’t liked. It’s a yelp generation and it’s crucial that businesses adapt to it.
One of the most important things about having different social media platforms is good monitoring. You can schedule posts to go out, but remember not to forget about your pages. Even if you just check in once a day you will be able to put out fires before they start. We generally check our social media throughout the day. This makes it easy to be on the top of the game. It’s important to check what your customers are writing and what they think.
You are bound to get some feedback that is a bit negative along with the good. Don’t ignore it. It’s there for everyone to see. If you choose not to engage with it you are losing credibility. The worst thing to see is a Facebook full of negativity. By not responding you look like you don’t care.
Dealing with a negative review is P.R. 101. What you say in this situation is crucial. Never put it back on them and don’t be aggressive. For example: “ I will never eat here again. The food was awful.” Here is how to properly address it: “ Thank you for your input. We are so sorry you had a bad experience. What can we do differently?” This is taking your review and turning it into a positive. You look like you care by taking the time to respond and you are also polite and mature in your response. You are taking the feedback as an opportunity to fine tune your business.
If you are getting the same complaint over and over, then it’s time for a change. Identify what the opportunity is and find a way to fix it. Gather your team and make the adjustments necessary to be successful. Once you have made a change share it with your audience. This is great for a consumer to see.
The more you address your reviews the better off you will be. Engage in the negative ones as well as the positive ones. Once you start making this change you will be the business someone wants to visit because of what they have seen on yelp.