I Want A 5-Star Facebook Review

So you want a 5-star Facebook Review?

What you really should be asking is HOW DO I EARN A 5-STAR FACEBOOK REVIEW? Business Owners and Customers put a lot of weight on these reviews. Should they be so concerned with them and how do they handle them? I’m still amazed at the number of businesses that don’t capitalize on the “review” options on any digital platform. Word of Mouth is still the BEST form of marketing and one that can literally grow businesses overnight. Still not sure about turning on or using online reviews? Check out some 5-Star Tips below.

3 Tips On Earning A 5-Star Facebook Review

Provide The Best Experience – The simplest way to “earn” a great review is to provide the customer with a GREAT experience. How are you treating your customers from the very first impression to the time they leave? Are you and your staff smiling? Do you try and give them the Disney experience? The littlest things can go a long way when it comes to customer service.
Put A System In Place – Many times the customer will have an amazing experience, but they will forget to share it online. Having your team at your business remind the customers if they enjoyed their experience to go online and review them is one example that can increase reviews and traffic to your social media accounts. In order to increase reviews across ALL social media platforms, rotate the reminder each month to a different social media platform (Ex: Facebook in January, Google Reviews in February, Yelp in March, etc…)
Encourage & Promote – Placement of table tops, signs, or print material around your place of business is a reminder to your customers (and team) that you are on various social media platforms and to visit and review. You can also cross promote reviews on your social media accounts (Ex: Make a tweet with targeted hashtags to encourage people to go on Facebook to leave a review. Some businesses will do a giveaway to encourage customers to review them. Be careful with this type of promotion, because it could lead to false reviews.

3 Tips On Handling A Bad Review

Communication – 99.9% of bad reviews (OK, I maybe exaggerating a little) are primarily due to miscommunication. In order to fix a bad review, you must first take the EMOTION out of it. This is why many times the business owner should NOT manage (or sometimes have access to) their social media accounts. I am personally a business owner and I always get a second opinion on a post or review before addressing them.
Address Concern – The real purpose of a review is to get feedback. This feedback is then used to make your business better. If you are a retail store and you have a lot of bad customer service reviews what would you do? You should address the concern not only with the person that left the review, but with your team. You may find out that your team is lacking training or resources to effectively do their job. Either way sometimes “negative” feedback is a GOOD thing. It addresses a concern that needs your attention.
Take It Offline – A WAR OF WORDS: Communicate, Address the Concern, and by all means, please take the conversation offline. You need to leave the bad review with a positive statement addressing the problem, you wanting to fix it, and how to contact you OFFLINE. This is preferably in person or on the phone. If the customer is emotionally charged and keeps commenting or replying, simply ignore it and try and see if you can contact them offline. DO NOT engage or get into a war of words with your clients. This can have a very negative effect on your business and future reviews.

Remember to take the EMOTION out of the review. Yes, I know that is impossible for a business owner, but let’s be honest, there is no way any business can be perfect. The goal is to build a brand so strong, that it speaks for itself. In the age of social media it is very hard to do, but remember that you can not make EVERYONE happy. All you can do is your BEST!

Just in case you were wondering, Harness Digital Marketing has been fortunate to earn a 5-Star Facebook Review.