- 97% of consumers look to online reviews
to make buying decisions.
As Yelp's Small Business Expert
I hear misconceptions and myths about online reviews
all the time.
The price that business owners pay
when it comes to misconceptions is a huge missed opportunity
in potential consumers.
In this video, I'm gonna bust some of the most common myths
I hear business owners share,
and give you technical strategies
to take back to your business
to grow your online presence and reputation.
(light energetic music)
The first misconception that I hear the most often
is that business owners are afraid of getting criticism
or critical reviews online.
And because of that, they avoid it all together.
When in fact on Yelp over 75% of our reviews are positive
and we have more five star reviews
than one, two, and three star reviews combined.
So if you're out there thinking and worried
that if you make an online listing
you might get a critical review, you're really losing out
on all of the potential positive things
that your customers might have to say about you.
So the right way to look at your online review sites
is actually as a search engine.
Consumers are turning there to search for a business.
And when they're looking, they're seeing so much more
than just those reviews.
They're seeing your business name, your address.
So when you think of online review listings,
think of them as a way to get in front of customers
so that they can determine
if you're the right business for what they need.
The second misconception that a lot of business owners have
is that there's no value to respond to positive reviews.
A lot of studies show that businesses
that respond to reviews have higher star rating
and higher quantity of reviews.
The psychology behind that makes sense, right?
If I find your business online, and I know in advance
that you care about your customer reviews,
I'm probably more likely to bring a concern directly to you.
Seeing that a business owner takes the time
to look at their online feedback
really shows me that they care about the experience
they're creating for their customers.
So I want you to think of your online reviews
and the way you respond to them
the same way you would approach talking to a customer
in your business.
If they were to come to you and share positive feedback,
you would thank them, right?
And maybe even take that feedback back to your team.
You can foster that relationship, which can help you create
more memorable experiences worth reviewing.
The third misconception
that I hear a lot of business owners share
is that it doesn't matter how they respond.
They just respond to get it off the checklist.
When in fact, the way you respond does so much
to show others the type of business that you are.
Studies show that about 51% of consumers
actually hope to hear back from a business
when they write something online.
You really have an opportunity
to not only meet their expectations,
but for the others exceed them.
When it comes to responding to reviews
there are some things that you wanna keep in mind
and do right.
Give them a little bit of your personality.
You don't wanna copy and paste the same message every time.
Take a minute to write a customized sentence or two
responding directly to what the consumer shared.
The other thing that you wanna do is thank them
for taking the time to share their review.
Maybe you're welcoming them back
or pointing them to a special
or an upcoming offering that you have.
If it's a critical review,
maybe you're taking that conversation offline
and providing them a way to get in touch with you
to further discuss what went wrong
and ways you might be able to make it right.
Another misconception business owners have
is that their online reputation is all or nothing.
I often hear business owners
striving for all five star reviews
or getting so bent out of shape
when they get a critical review.
When in fact, a lot of studies show
consumers are more likely to trust businesses
that have some not-so-perfect reviews.
Sometimes mistakes happen.
And sometimes those mistakes result in critical reviews.
It's frustrating, and we oftentimes focus
on trying to get that critical review removed
instead of looking at that critical review
as an opportunity to highlight what we try to do
when it comes to our customer and patient care.
So remember: getting a critical review
is not always need for us to be bent out of shape.
It can show us as a real business
that deals with real customers.
The bottom line is
that consumers turn to online review sites
to find businesses.
And it's important that you have a presence on those sites.
Avoiding an online reputation
'cause you're afraid of the negative
is a missed opportunity for all of the positive.
You have an opportunity to amplify
and leverage to grow your business.
(light energetic music)