Darn those negative reviews from customers! You’ve worked hard to build a well-respected company, your customers truly appreciate your business style and the integrity of your products and services and then one person comes along and writes a terrible review about you. Doesn’t it seem that you can get 100 nice compliments but one mean-spirited person who says something unkind can ruin your day? You’re not alone.

Lately, I’ve seen an increase in negative reviews on the Internet and it disturbs me as people hide behind the net’s relative anonymity and malign a person, product, service or business … often for no reason other than to intentionally hurt someone. These attacks have spurred an entire new industry of consultants called Online Reputation Management Specialists and they exist to help clean up online defamation.

How Can you Combat Negative Reviews?

Combat negative rants by briefly replying with a sincere apology and offer to do whatever they’d like to make it up to them and you’ll find that works most of the time. Best to take it offline. Try not to engage too much, otherwise, it will keep that negative review at the top of Google. In the ‘old days’ apologizing and making it right would have settled the problem. Today, dissatisfied customers take to the net waves and turn their rants on anyone who can read. If you’ve had a negative experience like this that’s haunting you, it’s time to step up your game, so read on.

Begin (if you haven’t already) posting positive reviews on your website, and in your testimonials. Allow visitors to post comments on your Facebook page and hide or delete them if they’re nasty. Share all of your positive customer feedback on your social media platforms and Google+. If you ship a product to a customer, follow-up with an email thanking them for their purchase and include a link to the product’s review page. Positive customer feedback on your review page increases trust.

I had a client who owned two resorts in Estes Park. They included a direct link to Yelp on their homepage and a quick click takes you to customer reviews. 

They also have a Trip Advisor Review plug-in on their site’s homepage and reviews roll in real-time 24/7. Here’s what it looks like. 

Facebook Business Page Reviews

You’ll also notice that you can have customers add reviews directly to your Facebook business page. Be sure to ask a few of your fans to write something positive on your page. Visitor posts represent an unbiased opinion and are excellent ways to gain new business via Facebook.

If you’re wondering what the point of all this is, it’s so that when someone, anyone, Google’s you, the good stuff will rise to the top and obliterate the bad.

Be Careful What You Ask For

Recently, two companies I had patronized emailed me a link to write a customer review. In truth, I wasn’t truly satisfied with either company and I had paid a lot for the services and felt the value I received was less than what I paid for. I don’t believe I said anything unkind though I was honest. Some months later, I ran into one of the people who’d sent me the review and she gave me the stink-eye, as in she glared at me. Once I realized who she was, I understood the glare. 

Jules Marie is a journalist and social media strategist. Visit her at 33Words.us