When Feedback becomes Feed-black

Written by Jennifer Rogerson

Friday, 30 July 2010 08:33

At Alienation we love to introduce clients to new internet marketing tools to help them promote themselves online. Our customers are generally excited to introduce something new, however there is also an element of fear when introducing an online channel.

In the age of Web 2.0, we have become increasingly aware of a fear faced by many companies: What if my company gets bad reviews online?

When companies work hard to develop and maintain a reputation, negative reviews can be difficult to swallow. It is even worse when the reviews are malicious, unsubstantiated attempts to defame the reputation of a company, and this is a very real problem for clients such as restaurants and hotels, who rely so much on word of mouth.

The subject was a hot topic of discussion at the hospitality marketing seminar we held earlier this year. Conversation between our clients centred around independent websites such as TripAdvisor, and the challenges they present.

The problem, dubbed "feed-black" by online reputation advisor Kwikchex, has grown as the public becomes increasingly reliant on reviews and online word of mouth as a source of information.

Back in 2006, the Times conducted an experiment, seeking to challenge TripAdvisor’s claim that all reviews are checked by moderators prior to publication. Researchers submitted multiple defammatory reports to TripAdvisor about hotels that had previously received consistently good feedback. Given that the reviews were published on the site, it could be argued that the “moderation” of the site was less than comprehensive.

Four years later, and it seems that the problem remains, and has even spread to other industries: Just last week, the BBC published an article about an independent photographer who discovered scores of unfounded, offensive reviews of his work on Google Maps. He contacted the alleged author of the comments, a local competitor, only to find that he knew nothing of published reviews in his name.

What can you do about it?

We recommend that clients remain positive in the face of the challenge. As the popularity of TripAdvisor soars, it becomes clear that such sites are going nowhere. What is important is that you are aware of what people are saying and make sure you respond.

Bear in mind that all competitors are likely to suffer the same treatment, and consumers are savvy. Bogus reviews can be easy to spot: They are often posted several times on each site, and lack specific details to back up claims. But whether you believe the reviews to be false or genuine, it is the way in which you respond that matters.

Turn a bad review into a positive for your company:

Don’t remove negative reviews, but respond to them. Act on the criticism, and tell your customers you have done so. This will gain respect from your audience, and if negative reviews feature alongside positive ones, it becomes clear that the reviews are trustworthy.
Monitor the online conversation about your brand. Set up Google Alerts and social media monitoring tools so that you are notified whenever your brand name or keywords are mentioned online. Many of these tools are free to set up and you will often be able to respond before anyone has seen the negative comments.
Finally, consider how you can influence the feedback your company gets. Provide impeccable customer service and the genuine reviews you receive will be outstanding. You can rest assured the wealth of positive reviews will far outweigh the negative.

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