Reminder: Remember … you got a rep to protect!

Can you name this movie in one gif??

You got it! A classic among classics. Why stop at Grease when you can recreate grease lightning in a bottle with Grease 2?!? Among the countless lessons they taught us in this riveting sequel, the one we will focus on today is the importance of protecting our reputation.

Of course, when this sequel made its debut in 1982, the T-Birds counted on word of mouth to keep their names safe with teachers and feared by classmates.

Today, the job is much tougher as those pesky Scorpions, the T-Birds rival gang, can ruin a reputation with a quick post, comment, or review.

So, my advice to the T-Birds and other businesses is to proactively protect your online reputation. One way to do that is to double-down on positivity. At a recent keynote presentation, I shared a strategy on how to do this. Take a look: check out this quick video.

As you saw in the video, I recommended requesting positive posts, comments, and reviews when the opportunity presents itself. People are more motivated when they’re unhappy than when they’re happy, so you can’t be afraid to ask. Find the places where people are talking about you and your business and encourage positivity whenever possible.

LET’S GO DEEPER ⤵

QUESTION 01: How Can I Effectively Monitor Reviews?

ANSWER: Set up alerts for your business. You can monitor Google, IG, andother platforms for mentions of your business.

➡ There are third-party tools out there that can help track your online reputation. We don’t personally use them for our business, but some of our clients do and find them very effective. You can also assign an internal team member to ensure comments and reviews are being answered in a timely manner.

QUESTION 02: What Strategies Can I Use to Encourage Positive Reviews?

ANSWER: Make it easy for satisfied customers to leave reviews.

Identify your best customers: Determine who your most satisfied customers are and prioritize reaching out to them. This could include customers who have made repeat purchases, referred you to others, or provided positive feedback in the past.
Timing is key: Choose the right time to ask for a review. Consider reaching out after a positive interaction, such as a successful project, a resolved issue, or a recent purchase.
Personalize your requests: Tailor your review request to each customer. Mention something specific that you appreciate about their business or relationship.
Make it easy: Provide a clear and direct link or QR code to your profile or review platform. You can also include a pre-written review that customers can edit and submit.

QUESTION 03: Should I Respond to All Reviews?

ANSWER: YES!

Remember ➡ When responding to negative reviews, it’s important to be professional, empathetic, and proactive. Apologize for any inconvenience or negative experience, address the customer’s concerns, and offer a solution or resolution.

✔Build trust and credibility: Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction and shows that you value their feedback. This can help build trust and credibility with potential customers.

✔Address concerns and improve: Responding to negative reviews gives you an opportunity to address any issues or concerns raised by customers. This can help you improve your products or services and prevent future negative experiences.

✔Show your personality: Your responses to reviews can help you showcase your brand personality and connect with your customers on a more personal level.

✔Encourage more reviews: By responding to reviews, you can encourage other customers to leave their own feedback. This can help increase the number of reviews on your Google My Business page and improve your online visibility.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Proactively generate positive reviews ➡ offset any potential negative feedback.

Double your Google reviews ➡ consistently by asking satisfied customers to leave reviews.

Once done with Google ➡ move on to other platforms such as Yelp, Glassdoor, Instagram or Facebook.

I’d love to know your perspective on this topic.

Do you have a process for positive reviews in place? What’s worked best for you and your business?