.svg)
Every successful business needs to work hard to keep its customers happy. They constantly need to design and develop new products and services to meet their buyers' needs, connect with them, and cater to their wants whenever necessary. But even with the best customer service, a company is bound to face a blow to its brand reputation now and again.
When an angry customer posts a negative review on the internet for all other potential buyers to see, you want a well-implemented mechanism to deal with that. This is where brand monitoring comes into play. By being proactive when it comes to managing your online reputation, you are not only minimizing the negative impacts of bad customer feedback but also helping to build a positive one.
To put it simply, brand monitoring (web listening) is the process of tracking different channels such as news, blogs, videos, forums, reviews, and more, identifying where your brand was mentioned. Unlike social media monitoring (social listening), where you focus just on your social media coverage, brand monitoring encompasses the entire web.
What Is Brand Monitoring On Social Media?
Brand monitoring on social media refers to the practice of tracking and observing online conversations, mentions, and interactions related to a particular brand or company. It involves using tools like eclincher to actively monitoring social media platforms to gain insights into how the brand is being perceived, what customers are saying about it, and how it is performing in the digital space.
By closely monitoring social media channels, brand monitoring allows businesses to understand their audience's sentiments, identify emerging trends, address customer concerns, and make data-driven decisions to enhance their brand reputation and overall online presence.
Why Do You Need Brand Monitoring?
It's important to keep in mind that 2/3 of people consider the web as being a reliable source of information about a person and/or business. In addition, when looking for a local company looking to do business, over 97% of people will consult online reviews. If there are too many negative reviews, most of these potential buyers will be turned away.
It's also important to keep in mind that as many as 94% of consumers said that a bad review convinced them to avoid a business. Also, roughly 53% of customers expect brands to respond to negative reviews within a week. Yet, 63% also said that businesses never responded to their negative reviews. Finally, 45% of consumers say that they will be more inclined to visit a business if it responds to negative reviews.
eclincher's web monitoring tool will allow you to track mentions and reviews, see what people are talking about your brand, uncover trends, and user-generated content, among others. In this article, we'll be taking a look at how to answer both negative and positive online reviews, as well as provide you with several templates to help you get started.
Responding to Negative Reviews
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4jasCVq8GY
Whenever companies receive negative feedback, they need to engage directly with their customers. In doing so, they are showing a willingness to sympathize and understand their experience. Likewise, companies also provide them with a direct way to access the business, such as its direct contact information. There are several steps that need to be taken into consideration whenever writing a response to a negative comment.
- Address the reviewer by name - With over 76% of reviews being on Google or Facebook, you will usually have access to their first name. Avoid the generic “Dear guest,” or “Dear customer.”
- Thank them - A "Thank you" will go a long way, even under these circumstances. It shows that your business appreciates their candid feedback.
- Apologize - Apologizing for the situation, even if it wasn't your fault, will show your customers that you're not too proud to own up to your mistakes.
- Take responsibility - Equally as important is not to make any excuses, even if this was an isolated or unfortunate incident. At the same time, make sure to provide reassurance that you hold yourself to the highest possible standards.
- Offer to make things right - Be as specific as possible about the customer's experience and communicate what changes or improvements you will make to resolve the situation.
- Move the discussion offline - The best way to resolve the situation is to talk directly with the disgruntled customer. For this reason, you need to provide your contact information, such as your phone number or email address.
- Ask for a second chance - Don't turn away from negative reviews and invite them to come back. This will create an opportunity to change the theme of the conversation and shows that you have confidence in your ability to make things right.
Negative Review Templates
- Dear [name],
I apologize on behalf of all of our staff members. Please know that your situation was an exception. As you can see on other reviews here, we are known for taking responsibility and caring deeply about our customers. We can’t fix what already happened, but you have my personal word and commitment that we will improve the way our staff serves every customer. Until then, please accept my sincerest apologies on behalf of everyone on the team. - Dear [name],
We want to sincerely apologize for your negative experience in/with our [store/office/product/service]. However, we'd like to learn more about your situation and what happened exactly. We want to make things right for you. Please give us a call on [phone number] or email us at [email], and we will get back to you promptly. We look forward to hearing from you and earning you back your business.Yours sincerely, [name], [position] - Dear [name],
We want to extend our sincerest apologies regarding all the issues that you have faced. We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest quality standards for our customers. So, we hope you will allow us to discuss this further with you. You can reach out to us on [phone number] or you can email us on [email id]. [name], our [position] will be taking care of you personally, his/her extension no is [extension number]. He should be reaching out to you shortly, and we hope to find a solution that makes you smile.
Responding to Positive Reviews
Responding to negative reviews is not just what online reputation management is all about. Answering positive reviews can also bring plenty of benefits in building customer loyalty, improving overall customer experience, and even working on getting more sales. But like with answering negative reviews, there are several guidelines that all positive review replies need to contain.
- Saying thank you - You need to show appreciation for the time your happy customers gave to share their positive experiences. Glowing reviews and high ratings are great examples of social proof that work to attract more business.
- Reinforcing the positive - Most often, positive reviews speak of specific things users enjoyed about their experience. Identify them and mention them in your response. This helps you do a bit of subtle marketing without seeming pushy.
- Reaffirm your commitment that you want to see them again - Always make happy customers feel welcome and extend them an invitation to return to your business. Not only will you help create a repeat customer but also show to the online community that you're the kind of business where people like to come back.
- Mention your other products and/or services - If the situation allows, you can mention another product, service, or promotion that's worth trying. But be careful not to overdo it, or you might come off as too salesy. Go with something along the lines of "We’re so glad you had a good experience with [product/service]. Next time you’re here, you can try our [other product], as it’s one of our newer offerings and we believe it will be a good fit for you.”
- Use branded and industry keywords - By inserting relevant branded keywords in the form of your brand name, product, service, or industry will help increase the chances that these positive reviews make it to the top of search pages. That said, you shouldn't mention any of these keywords more than once, as your reply may start sounding like spam.
Positive Review Templates
- Hi [name],
Thanks for taking the time to share your valued opinion on [company] with others. We pride ourselves in giving outstanding service to every customer, and we're overjoyed to receive your compliments and appreciation. We hope to see you here again, and please bring all your friends and family. We will ensure they all enjoy the same quality of service as you have. - Hi [name],
Thank You for giving us an opportunity, and even more for leaving us this review. Being a small company, most of our customers are referred to us by existing customers. Like you, all our other customers too loved using [product/company name]. We are also bringing out [new product/feature] in the upcoming weeks. We're hoping that you will remain a loyal customer - a 15% discount voucher has been sent to your email. Do reach out to us for any suggestions or queries. We are available on [phone number] and [email id]. - We are incredibly grateful that you took the time out to leave us this note, [name]. [Company name] puts customer satisfaction as a top priority, and we are committed to our customers. It's customers like you that make our job wonderful. We look forward to serving you again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is brand monitoring on social media important?
Brand monitoring on social media is important because it allows businesses to gain insights into customer perceptions, identify potential issues or crises, track brand mentions, and leverage opportunities to engage with their audience, ultimately enhancing their brand reputation and customer satisfaction.
Which social media platforms should I monitor for brand mentions?
The social media platforms you should monitor for brand mentions depend on your target audience and industry. However, popular platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube are often essential starting points for brand monitoring.
How can brand monitoring on social media help with competitor analysis?
Brand monitoring on social media can help with competitor analysis by tracking and analyzing your competitors' online activities, customer interactions, sentiment towards their brand, and marketing strategies.
Conclusion
Any business' long-term success, particularly in today's digital age, relies heavily on keeping a watchful eye on its brand's online public perception. While there have never been so many ways for the public to talk about your brand, there are also easier ways than ever to track and monitor your brand mentions across the web.
With eclincher's reputation management add-on, you can get instant access to any brand mentions across social, news, blogs, videos, forums, reviews, and more. You'll be able to discover how people really feel about your brand through sentiment analysis (positive, negative & neutral). You'll also be able to uncover trends and conversations of any keywords, hashtags, and phrases across the web, as well as get a thorough understanding of how your brand is perceived online. With eclincher's reputation management tool, you will be able to get in front of any crisis and address it before it starts to affect your business negatively. Don’t hesitate to start your 14-day trial right now for free!
