Do you think people experience a product, become familiar with a brand, and eventually forget it, regardless of whether they liked it? No! That’s not how human minds work. It’s simple psychology. People tend to overshare. To tell others things. Simple things that matter, that don’t, anything. And believe it or not, people talk about your brand, even when you are not promoting it. Through verbal communication with others, which we call ‘word of mouth’. Through the written form of communication, like those Online reviews on different platforms like Google, Facebook, Trustpilot, Yelp, and anywhere there’s a social forum. These are referred to as customer reviews, or rather, their point of view of your product, which might not always be correct, but they exist. Well, what should you do about it? You should be concerned because they sit under one brand name – yours.
Now your job is to capitalize on these reviews. Why? Because the customer is the king, right?
Think of these online reviews as Chinese whispers that travel faster than any marketing ad or sales campaign. Your job is to gather, collect and sort them to analyze a lot of things in detail. Like your customer behavior, their likes, their preferences and interests and also track their journey. This sort of customer review management will be helpful for your brand in the future, shaping and moulding it to your customers’ interests.
Where Are You Without Review Management?
Imagine that your business is doing a good job. And there’s a lot of noise around your brand, not the literal one, but a lot of chatter. And you aren’t paying any attention to them. People are constantly leaving comments, opinions and feedback about your brand. Now, there might be plenty of reviews around your brand. Some might just be nice, with a lot of pretty adjectives, but there might be others which are not to your taste – distasteful ones that pretty much sting. There might be neutral ones. Whatever, all of them matter, in ways you can’t even imagine. That’s the power of customer reviews. Without them, your business is just like a ship in a wild ocean without a compass. You might just be doing everything right, minus managing proper customer review management.
Some businesses and brands don’t even realise that they already have a review profile, thanks to some of the best review sites. And when they are finally pulled into the loop, they are bombarded with a mixture of outdated responses, unanswered queries and accusations, and reviews that have already changed people’s perception about your brand. Startling? Well, that’s how online review management works!
It’s not about controlling the opinions of your customers. It’s getting into the discussion, being a part of it and using it to your advantage, exclusively for your brand!
One Size Doesn’t Fit All – Crafting Your Review Strategy
One important thing to understand is that every business is different from one another. A local brand wouldn’t need the same strategy or review plan as a startup in the tech industry or an established restaurant. That’s the simple rule of customer review management – it needs to be customised for every brand.
It depends solely on the industry and the type of business you are running. Like restaurant reviews are meant to be scrutinised, authenticated through real photos and quick responses of customers. They need to be tempting. For service providers, it should be about resolving a certain issue or clarifying a problem and explaining the whole matter, justifying your part. For an e-commerce business, how well you conduct yourself in case of returns and complaints. More than resolving a problem, customers usually focus on how you handle the matter. What’s the brand’s signature style or behaviour throughout the issue?
So, take a moment and ask yourself – where do your customers usually leave reviews? What do they care about most? What words show up again and again in their feedback? That’s your starting point. With a good online review management plan, you can fine-tune your style, your tone, frequency of responses and timings. It’s like a PR agency but in an online way.
That’s where a proper review management software comes in.
Managing Reviews Like a Pro (Even If You’re New to It)
Online reviews don’t appear on a single platform. So you can’t just focus on Google reviews or Facebook. You need to be prepared to go all out. It also doesn’t mean checking your phone every 10 minutes. You need to have templates ready that sound human rather than like an artificial robot. Also, always thank the customers, be it in any scenario. Even if they have reflected something thorny, something that doesn’t sit well with your brand, you have to thank them. Customers love a humble brand. Be brief, be honest, and show you care. That’s it. People just want to know you’re listening.
You can also encourage customers to leave reviews. Most of them love talking, writing; they just need a little push. A follow-up email, a quick ask after a purchase, or even a QR code at your checkout counter. That’s how customers review management works quietly behind the business. It builds trust and visibility with minimal or no effort.
Real Reviews, Real Reputation – Let Them Speak
Honestly, customers hate brands that mimic perfection. To your surprise, they love flawed brands. It makes the brand business more humane. Hence, nobody would believe a company if it continues to receive five-star reviews from people with oddly similar names. So what brands have to do is to embrace authenticity. Go for real, genuine reviews and experiences. Yes, and that also would include the 1 star ratings (if any) but that’s how you up your game! Authenticity simply builds loyalty.
So don’t shy away from negative feedback. Let your reviews become stories of growth, improvement, and connection. That’s reputation marketing at its quietest and strongest.
Meet ReviuAI – Your Review Person
All this information might sound a little too overwhelming for your brand. To take care of reviews in such an ideal way and also manage your business is not such a comfortable idea. But worry not, that’s where tools like Reviuai come in. After all, you need somebody to carry your chores while you sit there comfortably taking care of the rest, right? Yup!
ReviuAI helps streamline your review responses, track what’s being said, and even suggest the best way to reply based on the tone of the review. It works like your personal assistant, making your customer review management smoother and less time-consuming. And Voila! Your brand will get better and superlative in the coming years!
FAQs
- Do I need to be on every review site?
No. You can prioritise according to popularity. Remember, Google is a must. But beyond that, you need to be present where your audience is. It’s different for different industries.
- Should I reply to every review?
Debatable, but yes. Of course, if you choose Reviuai, we shall help you prioritise, but answer everything mandatorily, but ideally you should care for every customer.
- Do reviews help with SEO?
Absolutely. The more reviews, the more visibility for your brand. Reviews that go online are content and will be traced by search engines.
In Short…
With a simple strategy and little extra attention for the reviews out there, you can build your brand and take it to amazing levels beyond your imagination. Remember, the idea is to listen – and Reviuai will help you do exactly that!
