As and experienced advertiser, you probably know how important it is to manage your online reputation alongside successful advertising campaigns. We’ve all seen the damage that negative online reviews can have on a business, so managing your reputation online is just as important as any other marketing aspect. Now, the problem is, if you don’t manage your negative reviews or social media chatter, you’re guaranteed to lose customers and money. The best way to roll with the punches is to take negative reviews as feedback, and try to work on the things mentioned within them. However, studies have shown recently, that businesses don’t seem to be paying enough attention to the negative reviews they receive.
eMarketer wrote in a report called, “Dealing with Negative Buzz on Social Media,” the company writes, “In a world of social sites that allow consumers to post photos, videos and opinions about companies and brands, disparaging comments and other content detrimental to brands are bound to bubble up.” The most surprising fact that eMarketer’s article informs of is that only 49% of businesses who receive negative reviews online actually act upon them. The biggest issue that this poses is that a total of 50% of respondents said that the main reason they use social media for customer service is to get answers about issues with the business at hand. With businesses ignoring the countless issues and negative responses to products or services, customers are vanishing quickly.
“This buildup of negative buzz on social media can have a significant impact on brands because social media is more public and moves faster than customer complaints via traditional channels.” Businesses used to have to worry more about reviews on sites like Yelp or Angie’s List, but now the biggest problem for online reputations has really become social media. People can speak directly to past customers and get the information they need. Also, on the social pages of businesses, people post countless questions, comments, and concerns regarding businesses, which others can view. Since social media is among the top reasons for internet use today, people are bound to base their opinions on what they see on these networks.
“A growing number of products and services are available for marketers, and these evolving tools help companies monitor more keywords and issues, more accurately track sentiment, spot negative situations earlier in the process and determine who is behind the buzz.” There are people out there that have made it their role to manage the way businesses are perceived on social media networks, so, finding a way to maintain a good name isn’t the issue. The issue is that over half of the companies with pages on social networks do not make the effort to follow up on customer feedback. The fact remains that social media has become the new word of mouth, but with it being digital, there’s a way to manage it. It was widely understood that there’s nothing that could be done about what people physically said about businesses, but with social media, things have changed.
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