You’ve been working tirelessly on review generation for your business. You’ve been carefully building, and steadily improving, your online reputation and visibility in local search results. Everything seems to be going well until…you get a negative review from an unhappy customer or client.
Do not fret. Negative reviews happen. It’s something every business goes through at some point. We are here to tell you that it is actually possible to turn it into something good for your business.
When you discover a negative review on Google, Yelp, YP or another platform, here are some tips on what to do (and not do):
- Don’t Respond Impulsively to a Bad Review – It’s tough for anyone to take criticism that feels unwarranted, and it’s a whole lot harder when you feel like your business, reputation, and livelihood are in the balance. Nevertheless, you need to remain calm, cool and collected. Take the high road and definitely do not respond impulsively out of anger or frustration. Replying in a contentious and argumentative manner will only serve to enhance the negative review and further harm your brand.
- Don’t Let Bad Law Firm Reviews Slip Through the Cracks – One of the worst things you can do with a negative review is remain blissfully unaware that it’s even online. When you find it six months or a year later, you can’t respond effectively. And, no matter what you do at that point, you look like the one that dropped the ball—even if the review is inaccurate or unfair.
- Be Sincere and Specific When You Respond to a Negative Review – Do not issue a generis response to the negative review. Be specific in addressing the reviewer’s problems and making them feel like a real human is responding to their concerns. That doesn’t mean that you have to get into specific details, reveal personal information, or anything else totally inappropriate to put online. It just means that you want to make sure that you’ve thanked them for the feedback, made them feel heard, and responded with concern.