Page 52 - My Marketing Sucks Book

4. Dilute negative reviews in the SERPs
I already mentioned diluting negative reviews by building up positive ones. But what if you just
can't seem to garner enough positive reviews to make a difference?

If you've been focusing on encouraging positive reviews on one particular review site, it might
be time to shift your efforts elsewhere.

Google your business, and see which other review sites pop up. Focus on building up positive
reviews on these other sites to dilute the negative reviews in the search engine results (SERPs).
Even if you can't redeem your reputation on one site, at least people who google your business
will see a more balanced picture of your business overall. Focus on building your brand up
overall.

5. Don't allow free shots
This goes hand in hand with always responding to reviews. A few years ago, Walmart made the
decision to consistently respond to complaints on social media. Prior to this, they had let most
comments slide, essentially giving their critics "free shots."

The reason for this shift? According to Chat Mitchell, senior director of digital communications,
it was all about engagement and public dialogue: "Best case scenario, we're able to engage,
share some content and change hearts and minds...Worst case, we're able to have an open
dialogue and then move on, agreeing to disagree."

Whether your critics are active on social media or on review sites like Google My Business or
Angie's List, don't allow free shots. Always be respectful, but don't lay down and let criticism go
unattended.

6. Take your critics offline ASAP
While you should be responding to every review, that doesn't mean you need to get into the
dirty details. Keep your response brief, avoid discussing specifics, and move the conversation
offline ASAP.

Respond with a sincere apology and a request to get in touch via email or phone. For instance,
"We are so sorry to hear you had such a bad experience at our establishment. Please reach out
to us at so we can discuss this further."

Be sure to include contact info with your response - the more specific the better (e.g., "Give us
a call and ask for Frank"). If you don't include your contact information, your response can end
up looking inauthentic.

7. DON'T use canned responses
Honestly, if you're going to cut and paste all your responses, you might as well not respond at
all. Looking through Trip Advisor recently, I found a particular hotel was giving identical
responses to each and every reviewer. Sure, they did have a different response for negative
reviews versus positive ones, but the whole thing still left me with a bad taste in my mouth.