Why you shouldn’t worry about bad online reviews

Consumers have become increasingly aware of their purchasing power in recent years, and that shift has led to an increase in online reviews. Online reviews are now an important part of the buying process for many customers. But do they affect your business? Especially if some of those reviews aren’t glowing? Here’s what you need to know.

As a business owner, you know that reviews are critical to your success. They help potential clients decide if doing business with you is worth their time and money. They can also help you understand what products and services your current customers need from you.

Reviews allow consumers to share information about their experiences with other people, creating a space where customers can build relationships and trust between each other. The more positive reviews your business has received from past customers, the more confident potential new customers will be in working with you.

But the thing is, when it comes to reviews, who wrote them and what website wrote them on is also important.

Related: Using reviews to grow your business

Reviewers and their criteria

There are three main types of reviewers: customers/users, organizations, and experts. Customers are the most common type of reviewer; they are people who have actually used a product or service and want to share their experience with others.

Many people don’t realize that the companies that rate products and services for profit are biased. They have to be: they are businesses and they have to make money. It makes sense that a company that pays to review your product or service would want you to buy theirs too – and if you don’t they lose money so they will try anything to get you to buy such as filtering good reviews or give you an unfair rating.

There are also people who don’t use the product but still feel compelled to comment on it – and sometimes these reviews can be just as powerful as those from real users.

It is also not always clear whether a reviewer actually used a specific item for its intended purpose. When looking at reviews to decide whether or not a particular product is right for your needs, it’s important to read between the lines and look at what reviewers are saying beyond their first impressions.

Whether your business is doing well or not, you are bound to see bad reviews from all kinds of people and review sites. If you find yourself trying to rid your product of what seemed like an unfair judgment, here’s what to do.

How to respond to bad reviews

When responding to negative reviews from customers who have had an unhappy experience (be it with your product or service), there are some things to always keep in mind:

• Always be polite and respectful. Good manners go both ways; when you respond politely and courteously to bad reviews, other potential customers will notice how professional your company is and seize the opportunity to do business with you instead of taking their business elsewhere.

• Reply quickly! If anyone provides feedback about a problem they had while using one of your products/services online via social media channels such as Twitter or Facebook, please get in touch immediately to not only resolve any issues but also avoid additional issues, such as further complaints. against you, because others may think that there is no way for someone else with similar problems to get help from those responsible for creating that product/service.

Related: 5 ways to embrace online reviews – good or bad – and win new customers

Pay attention to online reviews, but don’t let them dominate your business

While you should pay attention to online reviews and respond accordingly, don’t let them overwhelm you or dictate how you run your business. There are a number of reasons for this:

• You can’t control what people say about you in their own words – and that’s okay! The fact is that even if someone is disappointed with their experience at your restaurant, hotel, or spa (or whatever), they can still leave positive feedback if they enjoyed themselves overall. While it’s certainly worth responding when negative comments come in, remember that it’s not always necessary or possible to change someone’s opinion of an entire company based on one person’s experience at one location or event.

• Negative comments are probably outnumbered by positive ones! In fact, many people who write negative reviews never bother reviewing companies again, feeling like there’s no point – they assume all companies will be terrible, so why bother? Remembering this can help keep things in perspective: Even though one bad review now feels like the end of the world (because we live and breathe our business), most businesses actually have dozens more fans than detractors!

Related: Want a Successful Business? Focus on these 5 things

In the end, it’s about how you do your business. You can’t control what people say about you on social media, but you can control how you react to it.

If someone leaves a negative review, don’t try to argue with them or defend yourself. Instead, see what they say as an opportunity to improve your business for everyone – and apologize if necessary.

Remember: every story has two sides and one person’s experience is not equal to everyone else’s experience. People who leave negative reviews may be unhappy with their purchase for a variety of reasons. Maybe they’re just having a bad day or had unrealistic expectations from the start. By responding appropriately, you show others that their experience matters too.