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Reviews can make or break a business. It’s a simple fact and with everything searchable on the internet, business owners must pay attention to what’s being said about their brand online and make changes if there’s a problem.

Good reviews can pump up business and bad reviews can scare customers away, requiring reputation repair. How you respond to these reviews will define the character of your company, reflect on your business ethics and color the way your brand is viewed by potential customers. 

Not sure how to answer those online #reviews? Here are 4 tips to make it easy! Click To Tweet

The reputation management experts at Red Banyan know how challenging it can be when your business is trolled by anonymous posters, whether they are real customers or not. Unfortunately, ignoring online commentary is usually not a good idea. It is also important to address positive reviews. 

Here are 4 common sense tips to help you stay in the game and optimize the value of all reviews:

1. Turn positive reviews into new business. When a customer posts a glowing review, respond to it. Thank them for their review and their business, and then add something positive about your company or brand they might not know. The customer will appreciate your acknowledgement and other potential customers will read your response and see that you are paying attention. Connecting with past customers equals good customer service, which can only help your business.
   
2. Respond to negative reviews before they scare your customers away. With so much information available at your fingertips, a negative review with no company response can be a real black eye for any company. Answer all your reviews, to show engagement, awareness and concern.
   
3. Provide an explanation if something went wrong. Life is full of ups and downs. If something went wrong, admit it and offer to make amends. Provide a detailed explanation of why the problem occurred and then do what you can to make it right. It’s the most any business can do to make sure their company is running smoothly.
   
4. Invite an unhappy customer to a discussion offline. Apologize publicly for the problem, provide an explanation and then ask the customer to contact you by phone or email privately so you can discuss the issue at length and come to a mutually agreeable solution. It is not necessary to discuss details of a particular incident online. Other potential customers will see that you are trying to resolve the issue and may remain loyal to your brand because they appreciate your effort to make something right.

Responding to customer reviews, whether they are good or bad, is good for business. Customers want to be heard and timely responses are evidence that their thoughts count. Offering solutions to dissatisfied customers will show others that you care about your brand and its value.