Marketing + Advertising

Reputation Management Is More Important Than Ever for Businesses and Brands

The pandemic is making customers more tech savvy and more inclined to leave online reviews for businesses that they frequent. According to a recent eMarketer.com survey, review activity has skyrocketed — up 50% compared to pre-COVID-19 levels. Plus, the content of those reviews is far more descriptive, with social media platforms trending away from simple 1- to 5-star ratings.

Customers are taking valuable time out of their day to write a detailed review of their experience. And your response to those reviews can have a dramatic effect on the reputation and profitability of your business.

 

From Stars to Statements — What This Means for You

Facebook notably switched from star ratings to descriptive reviews about three years ago and gave users a larger platform to sing the praises of — or air their grievances toward — companies. And other platforms have followed suit. Now, more than ever, details and responsiveness matters.

Businesses face an influx of customer feedback and, in turn, greater accountability. With so many online purchases, user reviews are often the primary way shoppers get more information about a product before they make a buying decision.

It’s not surprising that people who interact with reviews are 25% more likely to convert than they were pre-pandemic. It also means that a high percentage of visitors may dismiss a business due to a thoroughly written, negative review — especially when that negative review goes unanswered.

 

Reputation Management Best Practices

Social media marketing should be a designated part of your day or a primary responsibility of a member of your team. Have a strategy in place for both positive and negative reviews — the faster you respond, the better. Many platforms track how long it takes for a business to reply and let customers know.

One example is the “Very Responsive” badge on company Facebook pages. It appears when a business achieves a 90% response rate within 15 minutes. If you take too long, or fail to respond at all, it can look like you aren’t prioritizing your customer experience — that’s one reason why handling reviews should be a top priority for your reputation management strategy.

 

Don’t Go It Alone

While social media and online reviews aren’t a new concept, the truth is that many businesses could be more active with review management. But our reputation management experts can help. We can aggregate reviews from YELP and Google onto your website. We’ll automatically reach out to customers via text or email to see how their experience was. If it is positive, then we ask for a review and post it to the website. If it’s less than stellar, we redirect the user to you so you can personally work with the customer and maintain the relationship.

Reputation management isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. We understand that small businesses may not always have the resources to respond to all their reviews in a timely manner — but you can when you partner with Kymera. Contact us today. No matter the size of your company, we can help you shine online. And you can stake your reputation on that.

 

 

Source

https://www.powerreviews.com/blog/how-covid-19-changed-online-reviews/