Businesses keeping a watchful eye on online reviews
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Greasy's Garage in Worcester sees positive reviews as a way to get referrals and addresses negative reviews to keep customers happy.
Google any service business and oftentimes the first thing that pops up on the side of the webpage is its ratings. That makes it possible to make a judgment about a business without visiting its website.
Online reviews have become a 21st century version of word of mouth, which was always the most valuable kind of marketing. This makes tracking a business' online reviews an important part of its success.
Studies show most consumers check an online review site before deciding where to take their business, said Daniel Lemin, author of “ManipuRATED: How Businesses Owners Can Fight Fraudulent Online Ratings and Reviews.”
“Anywhere between 80 and 90 percent of people seek out reviews when making a purchase, what they find when they go look at them is a major concern to businesses. This is where they're losing a battle for a new customer,” Lemin said. “People realize, this is where consumers are getting their information, so they're pivoting their energy toward this medium cause they know this is where it matters the most.”
For Heather Keppeler, a realtor at Collins & Demac in Shrewsbury, that realization came about two years ago when she helped a client sell his old home and buy a new one.
“He said, 'Hey, I know you use Yelp. I might have been the first person to write your review.' He was actually probably two years ago,” she said. “I did use Yelp, but I didn't think it was like people looking up a realtor.”
Since then, Keppeler has cultivated an active presence on Facebook, Yelp and LinkedIn. She said she responds to as many reviews as she can.
Useful across the board
Online review sites have become extremely valuable, said Chris Tieri, president of Sturbridge-based marketing firm Idea Agency. She said having a presence on Yelp actually helps boost a business' search engine optimization, meaning it will be easier to find through a Google search.
It's a good idea for business owners to sit down once a week or so and see what people are saying about them, Tieri said.
At Greasy's Garage in Worcester, service manager Thom Heon said he thinks online reviews are especially important to a service business like his.
“It's a long history of people feeling like they're getting taken advantage of. We like to believe that that's a thing of the past, that's not our thing -- we don't do that here. We like to treat people right,” he said. “Hopefully they'll tell their friends and give us a review online, and they tell their friends.”
Businesses that fall under the Shopping category get the most Yelp reviews at 23 percent, and restaurants came in second with 19 percent. Home and local services get 12 percent.
When it comes to banking or finance, companies have to take a different approach to review sites, Tieri said. If a bank gets a review from an angry customer, it can't respond publicly to the review in the way a restaurant might, because of privacy regulations.
“If I overdrew my checking account, and write a review saying, 'You guys charged me all these fees,' the bank or financial person can respond and say, 'We're really sorry about your experience, can we call to tell you specifics?'” Tieri said.
Dealing with negativity
Fake reviews online are more prevalent than ever, Lemin said, because there is money to be made. Websites like Fiverr.com have been sued for producing fake reviews. Businesses that are successful on review sites treat suspicious reviews as legitimate, because responding gives them a chance to demonstrate commitment to customers.
“Whether [a review is] fake or not, it's an opportunity to demonstrate how much you love your customer, and you have to assume and hope the other things will work,” he said.
Businesses can cultivate positive reviews by tapping into their most valuable resources – loyal customers. Tieri said it's a good idea to make connections with industry-specific bloggers and to ask employees and loyal customers to advocate for a brand.
“It's not an immediate return on investment, but there are certain people – that if they love your brand – they are going to talk it up regardless of whether or not they're getting paid,” she said.
Keppeler, the realtor, said she usually asks satisfied clients to write a review.
“I like to feature clients that I have. I'll ask them if they don't mind writing a review, if they can just write up a little something,” she said.
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