Small businesses are operating in fear. Ian King has repeatedly seen when one bad review or comment on sites like Yelp have

STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, January 31, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Small businesses are operating in fear. Ian King has repeatedly seen when one bad review, one bad comment on sites like Yelp, and other related review sites can have an impact on a small mom and pop company, separating them from vital local traffic and revenue, especially with customers who regularly look online for their products or local services. Add in the COVID pandemic effect, and a bad review impact can potentially drive a small business into the red.

Ian Mitchell King explains that some characters online know this digital concern well and will try to use the threat of bad comments to their advantage, practically blackmailing a small business for special treatment or steep discounting to keep them quiet.

The World Turned Upside Down

Ian King remembers that things didn’t become a battleground online when reviewing comments, but the world has changed, and mobile search represents two-thirds of all Internet queries for goods and services. Local searches in particular directly impact brick and mortar stores, most of which are made up of small businesses trying to maintain their success with neighbors. Now, Ian King notes, everyone is scared of the online comment of “death,” the one black mark that they can’t seem to get rid of, no matter how much they discuss it with the poster.

Solutions Exist and are Doable

Fortunately, there are ways to deal with harmful online reviews, which Ian Mitchell King shares with us. First, assume it will occur eventually, and work to prevent it, dilute it and nullify the bad comment before it happens. That occurs through first providing exemplary service in general. Keep customers happy; the large majority will remember who took care of them if the quality of service is consistent.

Second, use that large body to post good comments about the business regularly. Ask them to fill out review cards and post online. Don’t be afraid of the online review; embrace the marketing and use it proactively. Happy customers will get their name out, and 100 good reviews easily drown out one bad review.

Third, Ian King strongly recommends responding to comments but not getting dragged into the mud. If there’s a real issue, fix it and communicate to the customer publicly and privately how the matter was settled. If not, try to resolve the matter anyway if there was a misunderstanding. If downright intentionally mean, objectively state the facts and point out what was done, showing how the poster was unreasonable. So be sure to show your business cards try to do the right thing, which will make the reviewer look put out, especially when everyone else is posting they are happy.

Don't Fight the Water, Flow With It

You won’t be able to avoid all of the bad reviews online. In fact, Ian Mitchell Kings experience proves that many review sites pride themselves on resisting complaints from vendors to remove bad comments. However, your business can copy an approach from reputation management in general by overwhelming the one bad review with a tidal wave of goodwill and positive experiences. It takes work, but the effort pays dividends when it matters most – when customers search for a solution and your name comes up on a review site with five stars.

Ian Mitchell King
Ian Mitchell King.co
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