No this is not a joke. Bad online reviews are actually good for business…
Up to a certain point.
But before we talk about that, it’s important to understand why this topic is important in the first place.
Here are some basic facts about business reviews…
Most business owners don’t ask their customers for reviews
That’s in spite of the fact that we know reviews are incredibly powerful at improving your visibility in search engines.
And the fact that increasing your average star rating by 1 star, causes an increase in revenue of up to 9%.
So when businesses actively ask their customer for reviews, they get more visibility in search engines, more traffic, more customers, and ultimately a significant boost in revenue.
So why aren’t more businesses proactive when it comes to asking for reviews?
Most business owners are scared of bad online reviews
When you speak with most business owners, you’ll naturally hear them say that they forget to ask their customers for reviews.
That is is understandable.
If you’re not in a routine of asking your customers for reviews it can easily fall through the cracks when you’re dealing with more important day to day issues with your business.
But as I previously demonstrated, you can easily automate the process of asking your customers for reviews which will ensure that every single one of your customers will be asked to review your business, every time.
So once the issue of forgetting has been addresses, the business owners next question is usually…
“If I ask everyone for reviews, won’t it increase the chances of getting a bad review?”
It’s an understandable question, but let’s get something straight.
If you’re operating a high quality business, and the majority of your customers are happy with the product or service that you provide, then on average the reviews which you collect will reflect that, so there’s no need to worry about accidentally triggering a wave of negative reviews about your business.
So now let’s fast forward a little bit.
You’ve been asking all your customers for reviews, and now you’ve collected 15 five star reviews.
Great!
But then someone unhappy goes and leaves a 1 star review and you’re devastated.
Your perfect 5 star average has been ruined because of some grumpy person with an axe to grind.
While it might seem like a devastating blow, what most people don’t realise is that the occasional bad review can actually help your business big time!
How bad online reviews can help your business
A recent study showed that if a business only has 5 star reviews, 95% of people will assume that all of those reviews are fake!
That’s because consumers know that it’s impossible for every customer to have a perfect experience.
Therefore this means that having negative reviews actually increases the credibility of a business.
And what’s interesting is that it adds credibility in a few different ways.
Negative reviews show that the business has real customers
Real customers will occasionally have less than perfect experience.
They’ll complain about things. Sometimes they’ll complain about stupid things.
That’s all normal.
But the point is, it lets people know that there are real people using the business, and the majority of them are having positive experiences.
Bad online reviews showcase your customer service skills
When people go looking for bad reviews about a business, they’re not doing it because they enjoy seeing customers suffering.
They want to see what it’s like when things don’t go quite right with the business, and most importantly how the business reacts when things go wrong.
“Having negative reviews actually increases the credibility of a business.”
Does the business owner come out all guns blazing and blame the customer for the problem?
Or do they make a big effort to help the customer out and salvage their experience?
Negative reviews have a huge potential to benefit the business because they create an opportunity to showcase customer service when things go wrong.
After all, that’s when customer service really matters right?
Conclusion
So if you’re one of the many business that doesn’t actively ask all customers for reviews because you’re afraid of receiving a bad review, there’s no need to wait any longer.
Accept the fact that the occasional review will come in with a not so perfect rating, and all it represents is an opportunity to show your potential customers how awesome your customer service is!
