For many hospitality professionals, the possibility of negative reviews is of great concern. Because of this, many still shy away from having a presence on review sites.
However, now, more than ever before, people make decisions on which hotels to book or restaurants and bars to try out based on recommendations and online reviews, with 90% of consumers saying they read online reviews before visiting a business. If your establishment does not have a presence on these review sites or you are not properly managing your reputation online, you risk losing bookings to your competitors.
Why Online Reputation Management Is Important
Customer Reviews Sites are the norm
This is true of not only hospitality but of most industries where consumers are making decisions on the purchase of goods and services. Review sites are omnipresent. The likes of Amazon, Trustpilot, Which?, Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor are popular and have become an integral part a consumers’ decision-making process, with 67% of purchasing decisions being influenced by online reviews.
Customers are spoilt for choice, and the influence of social media and online review sites means customers hold the power. Smartphones and tablets have made this information accessible at the push of a button. How you manage your reputation online and react to online review s play a major role in attracting guests to your establishment. 30% of consumers name responding to reviews as key when judging a local business
Online reviews are a great way to get feedback from customers and to find out how you are performing. Many guests feel more comfortable leaving an anonymous review as opposed to doing so face-to-face. Knowing what your guests are saying is an opportunity to make improvements to areas or add elements to your service offer that may be lacking.
How to Improve Your Hospitality Business’ Reputation Online
Make sure you create a solid online reputation strategy to help you and your team manage reviews.
As mentioned above, review sites are not only omnipresent, showing up at the top of a Google search, but they are integral in a consumer’s decision-making process.
Set up a professional looking up-to-date page on the review sites that are most relevant to your venue type, and the encourage guests to leave feedback there. Use your social media, website and offline
Closely monitoring customer feedback about your brand on review sites and on your own online platforms (website/social media pages) should be an integral part of your daily marketing/social media tasks. Knowing what is working/what customers are happy about and emphasise this in your marketing efforts. Also, know where you fall short and show customers you are listening and how you are making improvements. Search for reputable online brand tracking tool to make brand monitoring easier.
Ignoring negative reviews will not make them go away.
Online reviews are no less important than face-to-face feedback. You wouldn’t (hopefully) ignore a customer’s complaint while they’re in your venue, so why do so when the complaint is made online? What’s more, while an onsite complaint can be contained and kept between you and your customer, a Tweet, Yelp review or Facebook comment can be seen by a global audience.
While most consumers are genuine about their experiences, there will always be the odd one who is difficult, unreasonable or simply – for whatever reason - wants to harm your business by leaving a fake review. While the temptation may be to respond angrily, the best response is a professional one. Remember – people are watching. Always try to move the issue offline or away from public viewing. Encourage the complainant to inbox or DM you their contact details
Your rating and reputation online play a huge part in determining whether or not customers will pick you over your competition. They can’t be avoided so make sure you are in control of managing both.
Our team is here to advise you, so contact us for more information on how to optimise your online hospitality reputation management and to help you get MORE BOOKINGS and HAPPIER CUSTOMERS.
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