Google remains the undisputed champion of Search, BUT when a prospective customer finds you there–and forms that all-important first impression of your brand–the initial image displayed on that search result will be a randomly selected picture (usually the most unflattering image available) AND the review ratings from 1 – 5 stars. That’s it.

In that nano-second, a modern human brain has judged your brand.

And while we have no control over which image Google posted on your Google My Business listing, (I have tried…) we do have some influence on the quality of the reviews. Namely, giving solid customer service and a creating a consistent brand experience to earn more 5 star reviews.

So, about those less-than-5-star reviews and how to respond…

Social Media has given everyone the power of a figurative pen. And in that anarchistic space known as the comment section, some among us forget what Mom said (“if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all”) OR ignore/forget that “with great power comes great responsibility,” and abuse that power to ill effect.

This post is gleaned from in-the-trenches combat with negative reviewers of some of my clients’ businesses. Here’s a short list of Do’s and Don’ts for responding to negative reviews for those of you short on time.

#1    DO identify the negative reviewer as an outlier

#2    DON’T ignore (a non-response is a response)

#3    DO own a mistake (if any)

#4    DON’T stoop to their level

#5    DO re-state your brand’s purpose/mission

The best approach I have found is to use the follow phrase, “We’re sorry you did not have the same experience as our other reviewers,” which is #1, identify the Troll as an outlier. In one instance, a reviewer left a one star rating with no written review. My response, after researching the reviewer: “We find no record of you having been a customer at _______.” Done.

Be mindful that a prospective customer’s first interaction with your brand might just be reading a negative review, thus the way you handle the review says A LOT about you. The tact and skill you show when responding is a crucial display. Failure to respond, #2 above, might infer that you don’t care what your customers think, or that you are inept at managing your social media. Both of those errors get 1 star from me.

Honesty and integrity are essential to building brand trust. If you make a mistake, identify it and apologize (#3). If the Troll starts name-calling, that says more about him/her than your brand, but try to (#4) refrain from any verbiage that implies “We’re sorry you feel that way.” Again, the tact and tone you use responding to Trolls can win a future customer.

Actually, a Troll is giving you an opportunity for free PR. The responses  that I author to both positive and negative reviews always contain a statement about the brand’s mission (#5). When an incident occurs that generates a negative review, there should be research and an autopsy of the event. This acts as a quality assurance check, and the way you reveal your findings about what happened can be a strong example of the how your company’s ethos.
Something happened – identify it. Claim it. Then, install or amend systems to improve the experience for the next customer.

Take trolling in stride, don’t let reviews ruin your day OR run your life.