Are you already managing reviews and looking to improve your results? The best practices I'll share in this article are exactly what you need to know.
I've outlined 5 fundamental practices that will ensure you're doing your job well, extracting as much intelligence as possible to apply to your business and maximize your company's results.
1. Volume: have a constant and relevant flow of reviews
For review management to work, you need reviews—that's obvious. However, many companies overlook this fact and don't give this fundamental part of their strategy the importance it deserves.
Reviews are a source of intelligence, and the greater the volume of reviews, the more intelligence you can extract.
Your business needs a steady, relevant stream of reviews. Developing a strategy that addresses this is crucial.
Make sure you're exploring all available and viable review methods for your business and experiment with different strategies to encourage your customers to review you.
2. Lifespan: Always have current reviews
Reviews have a set expiration date. From the date a review is published, it loses its relevance.
Did you know that 40% of consumers only consider a review if it was published less than two weeks ago? (Bright Local)
This is why review date is factored into online review site algorithms to determine a property's ranking. We talk more about this metric here: 4 Key Review Management Metrics You Need to Know Today .
Precisely because the more recent the review, the closer it is to portraying the experience at that establishment.
That's why having a good strategy that includes a constant flow of reviews is essential:
1st to obtain greater intelligence through data extraction and;
2nd to keep your establishment relevant in review site rankings.
3. Company response rate
Having a consistent, high volume of reviews is important, but that's not all. Response rates also impact your establishment's ranking on online review sites and consumer purchasing decisions.
According to this study , just the act of responding to reviews was responsible for increasing the hotels' rating on Tripadvisor.
So, if you don't already, measure the company's response rate. But be careful: Don't respond with "robotic" and impersonal questions.
Responding to reviews by copying and pasting is just as bad as not responding at all. Consumers always expect a personalized response that shows you've truly listened to them. This makes all the difference, believe me!
👉Check out: How complaints can help you build customer loyalty
4. Commented reviews: encourage reviews with comments
Receiving top-rated reviews is great! But receiving reviews with comments is even better.
After all, all the intelligence you gain from review management comes from these comments. Therefore, as important as maintaining a relevant flow of reviews is encouraging customers to comment on these reviews, describing their experience in as much detail as possible.
Proof of this was Facebook's update to its recommendations feature. Previously, users weren't required to write a review when recommending or rejecting a business. Today, they must write at least 25 characters to post their review on Facebook.
👉Check out: 6 ways to increase customer loyalty using online reviews
I hope these tips have helped you go further in managing reviews 😉 If you have any questions, leave a comment below =)
