As your company grows, it’s important to expand your social media presence to drive more business. What are you doing right and wrong?

Here are four quick tips to improve social media for your company:

1. Figure out which social media platforms are right for your company.

While Facebook should be on every company’s radar, other platforms depend on your audience. For example, Instagram probably won’t work for hospitals, since it’s highly visual, and posting patients can violate HIPAA. However, Instagram is perfect for a veterinary hospital. Sharing puppies, kittens, and other animals will catch the attention of animal lovers and make them aware of the good you do in your community.

Some platforms, such as Snapchat, target younger generations. If your audience tends to be over 21 – if you sell appliances, for instance – then these platforms shouldn’t be your focus. It’s all about finding who your audience is and which social media platform they spend the most time on.

2. Share visuals whenever you can.

According to Forbes, ninety-one percent of consumers prefer visual content over text. Whenever you post on social media, always include a picture or video. Using your own images is best; however, there’s nothing wrong with stock photos. Sites like Unsplash allow you to download and use any image for free.

3. Respond to all social media conversations about your company.

This includes replying to a comment someone made on one of your posts, using the search bar to find people mentioning your company’s name, and replying to online reviews. Stay aware of what people are saying about your company. Customers will appreciate when you address their comments and concerns. Make time every day to acknowledge and appreciate customers, and it will create more loyalty for your brand.

4. Use current trends to stay relevant.

Pay attention to what’s happening in your industry and what your followers are talking about. Twitter makes it easy with hashtags and topics that are trending. Facebook and Instagram can be trickier. Use your company page to follow some of your fans to see what they’re talking about. Make creative content that targets the audience you’re wanting to reach. Staying relevant will keep you top of mind for customers and create new leads to generate business.

To get more followers on social media, you first need to build your reputation. ReviewMaxer can help with that. Try out a free demo today!

Luxury skincare company Sunday Riley settled with the Federal Trade Commission after an accusation that it had been posting fake online reviews to Sephora’s website for years.

A user on Reddit exposed the company back in October 2018. The whistleblower was allegedly an employee at Sunday Riley and posted an email from an executive in the company encouraging employees to post fake positive reviews on Sephora’s website. Employees used a VPN so their computers were untraceable. The company also requested that employees dislike any negative reviews, because with enough dislikes, Sephora would remove the negative reviews.

Many skincare brands don’t test their products long enough to have solid scientific evidence that they work, so they rely on online reviews to build brand recognition and loyalty. What Sunday Riley did was deceptive and unethical. Companies should earn authentic positive reviews from customers.

What brands can learn from this

Sunday Riley should have focused on reaching out to customers instead of its employees to write reviews. The brand has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media as well as customer emails it could market to. Additionally, since the focus was on obtaining online reviews, Sunday Riley could have posted signs in stores asking for feedback on review sites including Sephora.

From this scandal brands can learn that customer service should come before reviews. By giving the best experience possible to a customer, good reviews will flow in on their own. And ReviewMaxer can help make that happen.

What consumers can learn from this

Customers are getting better at evaluating the credibility of online reviews. Buying a product based on glowing reviews and then finding out it was all a lie is infuriating. Ultimately, when companies try to trick consumers, it turns them into smarter shoppers. Consumers should learn not to trust reviews at face value and how to spot when a review is fake, so in the future, they can find a brand they can trust.

Fake reviews are becoming an epidemic. Internet trolls spam review sites with fake negative reviews and can do considerable damage to a company’s online reputation. Conversely, some companies put out fake positive reviews themselves in an effort to boost their reputation. Fakespot, a fraud detection company, stated that 36% of online reviews on TripAdvisor aren’t reliable. The Washington Post also did a study about fake reviews and found that the highest percentage of questionable reviews on Amazon are on dieting products and electronics.  

It’s hard to determine what’s real and what’s fake online. As a consumer, it’s important to recognize red flags that indicate fake reviews. 

1. Look at the star rating.

If a company receives a plethora of 5-star reviews in a short span of time, be cautious. Those reviews could be fake. It’s not likely the company is receiving glowing reviews from multiple customers all at once.

2. Consider the company’s brand awareness. 

If the company you’re looking into is large, established, and has many fans, it’s more likely that it has tons of raving reviews. If the company is new, then a large number of positive reviews is unlikely. 

3. Read the reviews. 

When you’re researching a company, don’t just pay attention to the star rating. Read the reviews. Notice the language that the reviewer uses. Is it organic and genuine or does it seem copy and pasted? Does the reviewer describe what he or she likes or dislikes about the product/service or does the review seem vague? Noticing these signs can help you figure out the authenticity of the review quickly. 

4. Check the reviewer’s history. 

If you’re unsure whether a review is genuine or fake, check the history of the reviewer. Look at past reviews the person left. If the reviewer is handing out 5-star reviews for several products from the same company, it’s likely those reviews are fake. 

As a consumer, it’s important that you’re able to recognize a fake review. Most people use reviews in their buying decisions. Falling for false reviews could influence you in the wrong direction. Reading a fake negative review could drive you away from a business that may offer amazing services, while a fake positive review may attract you to a company that isn’t so great. Knowing and understanding the signs of fake reviews can save you a lot of trouble. 

5 ways to thwart fake bad reviews and manage your online reputation 

It’s easy to spot when your company’s online reputation is under attack. Often, multiple critical reviews pop up at the same time with similar language repeated throughout. Do the reviews sound like a story rather than facts of the reviewer's experience? Check the reviewer’s profile. Does this person have a history of leaving only negative reviews to get free products or services?

Once you identify that the reviews are fake, it’s time to follow through with your crisis plan. Your crisis plan should be in place long before anyone posts a negative review of your company. 

Here are some ways you can combat fake negative reviews:

1. Proactively seek out positive reviews before you’re attacked.

If you have hundreds of 4- or 5-star reviews already, they’ll provide a cushion when multiple negative reviews pop up at once. Post signs around your company encouraging customers to leave honest reviews about their experiences. Potential customers who come across your review page are smart enough to trust a longer history of excellent reviews over a short spam of negative reviews.

2. Make sure you claim your social media and review pages.

By claiming your review pages, you’re able to respond quickly and efficiently to negative reviews. Not claiming them before a spam attack results in extra steps that waste time and could result in more negative reviews or a loss of business.

3. Have review management software in place. 

ReviewMaxer gives you the ability to see reviews across hundreds of review platforms all on one page. The attack of fake reviews may not just be on Yelp or Google, it could be across multiple sites. Review management software allows you to see where the attack is taking place and regularly updates you on new reviews as they come in, so you can respond to the negative reviews quickly.

4. Report the fake reviews.

Each review site has its own policy on how to report reviews. However, this isn’t an instant problem-solver. Support for review websites is often understaffed compared to the number of reports they handle each day. 

5. Turn off the review feature.

As a last resort, you can turn off the review feature. This mainly applies to Facebook. Since you should own your business page on Facebook, you have the ability to control the review feature. Most review sites, like Yelp, don’t allow companies to remove their page. If you do turn off reviews, it’ll prevent new positive reviews from coming in. Most of the time, people don’t trust old reviews. That’s why it’s better to be proactive rather than reactive when a fake review crisis happens.

Want to learn more about how to manage your business reviews? Watch this free demo today to find out how ReviewMaxer can protect your company.

In today’s business landscape, online reviews hold a great amount of credibility. In fact, almost 95% of shoppers read reviews before making a purchase. How you reply to your company’s online reviews is just as important. The internet is public and information is so readily accessible and vulnerable. Customers will see and consider your responses, so make sure they’re professional and helpful.

Here are the best practices when replying to your online reviews: 

Negative reviews 

Negative reviews can be hard for business owners to see, making it difficult to respond professionally. Understand it’s nothing personal, many reviews can offer valuable feedback your company can use to make improvements. Either way, taking criticism well – no matter how hurtful – is vital. Regarding negative reviews, it’s important to be engaged, understanding, and helpful. You want reviewers to feel you hear them and care about what they say.

There are three things you should keep in mind when you reply to a negative review: 

1. Say thank you. 

Show readers you appreciate their feedback, no matter how jarring it may be. 

2. Apologize.

Being vulnerable, genuine, and apologetic to your customers will show that you care about their experience. 

3. Take responsibility.

Own up to your mistakes and avoid making excuses will help you earn customers respect. Reassure customers that your company holds its employees to high standards and aims to grow from its mistakes. 

Positive reviews 

While responding to a positive review may seem pointless, it’s actually a great way to stay in contact with customers and nurture relationships that support your company. If a customer takes the time to write you a glowing review, you should take the time to reply. 

Here are three ways you can respond to a positive review: 

1. Say thank you.

If a customer compliments your services in person, you thank that person; the same applies when you receive a compliment online. It’s common courtesy. 

2. Tell customers you appreciate them.

Make sure you let your customers know how much you appreciate their support and feedback. Tell them you value them and would love to see them again.

3. Keep it positive.

If someone leaves a positive review, it only makes sense to keep your response positive. Being upbeat and excited will show how much you appreciate the interaction you have with customers. 

It can be challenging keeping up with your online reviews. ReviewMaxer makes managing your online reviews easy and improves your online reputation. Want to learn more about it? Watch a free demo video here!

Featured photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Local businesses benefit the most from reviews. They must compete with giant corporations that can afford multimillion-dollar marketing and advertising campaigns. Because of this, local businesses have to be more strategic with managing their reviews. Reputation management is a crucial matter when it comes to generating new customers.

Here are three facts about local business reviews that you can use to your advantage:

1. Fifty-one percent of consumers will select a local business if it has positive reviews (BrightLocal).

Consumers want to turn to local businesses for their needs. Big-box stores and corporations aren’t native to their town and lack the sense of camaraderie a local business offers. For restaurants, people assume fresher ingredients when they eat local. Local boutiques may use local designers and products. Using a local business means fueling the community. And to be a part of the local community, you have to make a name for your local business, starting with its reputation.

2. Businesses that reply to their online reviews at least 25% of the time generate 35% more revenue (Womply).

People who read your company’s reviews and see you replying to customers will respect your promptness and efficiency in taking care of your customers’ needs. Engaging with customer reviews has a positive outcome when you keep it professional and respectful. Make it right for a customer who had an unsatisfactory experience. Did someone get the order wrong at your restaurant? Always give an apology and perhaps a coupon for that patron’s next visit. 

3. Sixty-eight percent of people say positive reviews make them trust a local business more (BrightLocal).

Positive reviews are vital to everyone, and local businesses need positive reviews to compete with large corporations. However, it’s also important to consider the opposite effect: How can negative reviews make people distrust a local business? Managing negative reviews can be trickier than managing positive ones. Having a review management system in place helps you prevent too many negative reviews from tarnishing your online reputation.

Check out this free demo today to find out how easy it is to use ReviewMaxer to improve your local business’s online reputation.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash