DEALING WITH TROLLS AND FAKE REVIEWS
Is it better to remove or respond?
Are you being trolled? Are you reading this because someone just posted a fake review about your business online? Are you wondering if you should remove or respond to an online troll? Well, if so, then you have come to the right place.
Your business will eventually get a bad review (kind of a badge of honor that people talk about you enough to have something to hate on?) But as we all know, it is important to keep your head high and your review average higher! You can do so by playing both a good offensive and defensive strategy to move past the experience.
Fake or misleading reviews are defined as negative, positive, or neutral reviews that do not reflect a consumer’s authentic experience of a service, business, or product. With the climate of 2021, trolling has grown worse. Worldwide, people experienced lockdowns and spent a lot more time on their hands, which meant more screen time. Coupled with the lockdown came multiple adverse events such as heightened political tension, increased natural disasters and peak unemployment. The world agreed that 2021 sucked. But trolling made some people feel a teensy bit better about their external crisis.
Yet, at the end of every negative review is a business that suffers. Social media provides an outlet that people can be extreme without fearing repercussions due to staying primarily anonymous. Currently, 3.96 billion people use social media worldwide, and of those people, the average person has 8.6 social media accounts. Because of the large of amount of people engaged on social media daily, one tsunami of negative reviews could deter a large portion of potential consumers/current consumers. So, what to do to prepare for online reviews.
Offense:
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitor your ratings and reviews from all major review sites like Google, Facebook, Trip Advisor, and more.
- Brand Alerts: Sign up for alerts that let you know when someone mentions your business or posts a review online. If someone posts a bad review, then you want to see it ASAP and act.
- Ask For Reviews: When customers have a positive experience, don’t be shy about asking them to share it online. With our dashboard or mobile app, we make it easy to share review requests with your customers!
Defense:
- Respond To All Reviews: Don’t let a bad or fake review lay silent. Respond professionally to all reviews (even fake ones) with an offer to resolve the situation.
- Review Removal: We help remove fake negative reviews for your business from Google, Facebook and more. We dispute reviews that violate the terms and conditions on your behalf so that you don’t have to do the heavy lifting!
- Report Fake Reviews: Flag and report fake reviews as soon as you see them.
Not only do people write reviews, but potential customers also read them. According to our recent survey, 90% of respondents said they read the owner’s responses to their online reviews. In case you were wondering if your customers are paying close attention to how your business conducts itself online, the answer is a resounding yes. Our professional advice – try to respond to every review promptly because your audience is listening! Our dashboard allows your brand to react automatically to Google & Facebook reviews right from the dashboard.
“You don’t know how much potential business your business is losing because of a negative review. Someone may be looking up your Italian restaurant then read a few negative reviews and decide not to go,” said Brynn Gibbs, CEO of Consumer Fusion. “They don’t necessarily pick up the phone and call you and say, “Hey, I was going to come to you, but I saw these reviews.” Some of those reviews may not even be legitimate, so there’s no way a business can track how much new business they are losing because of negative reviews written about them online.”
If your company needs help maintaining its online reputation, request a demo with us! We strive to keep reviews honest by providing business owners with the tools they need to take control of their online reputation. With our innovative software, creative thinking, and stellar customer service, there is no doubt that we will be able to help you achieve your goals and keep your reviews honest. It is time to take control of your reputation.