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Tired of managing your business reviews? Well, what if I told you that not only do you get a tool that can automate the monitoring and managing process but can also help you bring more traffic to your brand's socials and website? Review management software is a great tool any business should have in its online marketing arsenal. In this guide, we explain what review management software is, what the benefits are, and how you can implement your very own review management strategy.
What Does A Review Management Software Do?
Review management software aids businesses in boosting their online reputation by addressing negative feedback and encouraging positive reviews. Basically, it automates the process of monitoring, managing, and responding to online reviews across different review sites.
An online review management tool also gives you detailed analytics to understand customer sentiment and trends. Ultimately, when you use a review management tool, you can improve your customer service, foster better brand loyalty and even increase traffic and online visibility of your brand.
What Are The Benefits Of Using A Review Management Software?
There are numerous benefits of using review management software; the benefits I enjoy most include the following:
- Improving Trust and Credibility: By managing online reviews, review management software help cultivate a positive online image and ultimately improves the trustworthiness of your company. Timely responses to customer feedback make your brand look responsible and customer-orientated.
- Boosts SEO: Positive reviews can influence search engine optimization (SEO) because search engines often factor in review quantity, quality, and frequency. Therefore, when you use review management software to collect and display these positive reviews on your website, you can attract more customers.
- Improve Customer Satisfaction: A customer review management platform also helps you to identify issues, make improvements and increase customer satisfaction. This, in turn, fosters customer loyalty and encourages positive word-of-mouth marketing.
- Efficiency: The software offers a streamlined, automated communication process that allows you to monitor and manage reviews. This helps you save time and resources that would otherwise be spent manually tracking all the reviews on different review sites.
- Increased Revenue: By improving customer satisfaction and trust as well as leveraging positive reviews, businesses can attract more customers, boost sales, and increase ROI. This is because reviews play a vital role in the decision-making process of a customer.
How To Develop A Review Management Strategy
If you want your business to maintain a positive online reputation and attract more customers, then you need to develop an effective review management strategy. Here are the steps on how you can develop an effective online review management strategy:
Step 1: Identify A Potential Review Site:
First, you need to identify potential review platforms where people leave customer reviews about your business. I find most of my reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook.
Step 2: Choose A Review Management System:
Next, find a review management software that supports the review sites you identified in the first step. The best review management software will be one that supports almost all review sites and can integrate into your existing customer relations software (CRM) and social media management tool.
Step 3: Monitoring and Managing Reviews:
After you have completed step 2, you can start to monitor and collect reviews from review sites. Make sure to look beyond Google and Yelp to industry-specific sites as well.
Step 4: Respond To Reviews:
When the reviews come in, you will need to respond to them, and this includes both positive and negative reviews. Be sure to respond in a timely and professional manner. Customers value it when you express your gratitude for their positive feedback.
Remember, your reputation is one of the most valuable commodities you have as a business, so be open to criticism when you address any concerns and issues raised in negative reviews - take your time and when you are angry, take a step back and think of the consequences when responding inappropriately.
Step 5: Encourage Positive Reviews:
Encourage customers to leave positive reviews. You can send them follow-up emails, on-site prompts, or messages after a purchase or service.
Pro Tip: Provide links to review sites to make it easy for customers to leave reviews.
Step 6: Incorporate Reviews Into Your Website:
Use positive reviews as testimonials on your website and social media channels to attract more customers. People generally respond more positively when they see that other people are satisfied with your product or brand, making them more likely to buy your product or use your service.
Step 7: Review And Adjust:
Finally, it is important that you review the effectiveness of your review management strategy and make necessary adjustments. Remember to keep an eye on changes in review trends, customer feedback, and overall ratings. You can make this step easier by using software like eclincher, which we discuss in the next section.
What Are The Most Common Review Sites & Networks?
I monitor over 30 review sites to keep track of any feedback regarding my businesses. However, in my experience, the majority of reviews come from a select few platforms. Here are the most common review sites:
Google My Business: Arguably my most crucial review platform - it directly impacts a business's visibility in Google search results and even on Google Maps. Feel free to read our great guide on How to Optimize Google My Business to Get More Customers.
Yelp: Yelp is a popular review site for reviews of local businesses, especially in the food and services industries.
Facebook: When people search for a business, usually their Facebook profile/page comes up. Here you can read customers' reviews and ratings of the business.
Amazon: Amazon is more directed at businesses selling products online.
TripAdvisor: If you have ever been on a trip and searched for a hotel or attraction, chances are very good that TripAdvisor is one of the first websites you see on the search results. This is a key platform for businesses in the travel and hospitality industry, including hotels, attractions, and restaurants.
Better Business Bureau (BBB): This site is specifically for people in North America. It features reviews of businesses and non-profits in North America - a good rating here can substantially boost a company's credibility.
Angie's List and HomeAdvisor: These two platforms are for reviews of contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc.
Glassdoor: Glassdoor is an important site for employer reviews, where employees (current and former) can leave feedback about companies.
Zomato: This is another platform significant for restaurant and eateries reviews.
Trustpilot: Trustpilot hosts reviews for online businesses and is often used by companies to showcase customer testimonials.
Why Types Of Businesses Should Use A Review Management Software?
Almost any type of business that has an online presence or wants to have an online presence to increase traffic to their business can benefit from review management software. Some business types that can benefit from review management software include:
- Restaurants
- Retail Stores
- Hotels
- Service Providers
- E-commerce Businesses
- Healthcare Providers
Should Large Businesses Use Online Review Management Software?
Yes, large businesses should most definitely use review management software. With such a large number of customers, locations, and online listings, it can be very challenging to manually monitor and respond to reviews. Therefore, automated tools like a review management software help large businesses manage their online reputation across various platforms and locations.
Should Small Businesses Use Online Review Management Software?
Yes, a small business can also benefit from a review management software. Even though a small business has fewer reviews to monitor, each review has a greater impact on its overall reputation.
Therefore, this software can help a small business address issues proactively, improve products and services based on customer feedback and cultivate a stronger online presence.
Do Brick And Mortar Stores Need Review Management Tools?
Yes, these businesses also need review management tools. Review sites like Trustpilot are popular for people to leave a review of a brick-and-mortar store. And potential customers often look to these review sites before visiting a store. If the store has a bad review without feedback from the store, then chances are good new customers won't flock to the store as readily as when the store has a good image on a review site.
Therefore, when brick-and-mortar stores manage their online reviews effectively, they can attract more customers, improve service and compete with online businesses.
Are There Any Downsides To Using A Review Management Software?
Yes, as with any software, there are some downsides to consider before using it:
- Cost: The software can be expensive, especially for start-ups with a tight budget.
- Learning Curve: Learning new software takes time, especially when it needs to integrate into existing business processes.
- Depersonalized Responses: This is a downside I've come across a few times. Sometimes, the responses become too formulaic and depersonalized if you handle them solely through software. Make sure to maintain a personal touch when responding to reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it important to respond to reviews?
By responding to reviews, you convey a message of trust to your customers by showing them you value their feedback and are committed to improving their experience.
Should negative reviews be ignored?
Negative reviews should never be ignored - they provide valuable insights for improvement, and a response shows a commitment to customer service.
What is the most important review network?
It depends on your business and what industry you operate in, but the most important review network for my business is Google My Business. I find the integration into Google's search engine and maps very valuable.
The Bottom Line
Review management software is a valuable tool businesses should incorporate into their online marketing and managing strategy. However, a review management software is just one piece of the puzzle. To ensure you maintain and improve your online presence, you need a comprehensive management platform like Eclincher.
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