Crafting Responses to Online Reviews
Oh, those TripAdvisor reviews. They can be your best ambassador (鈥淟ovely stay鈥� and 鈥淕REAT staff鈥�) or worst enemy (鈥淒isappointing鈥� and 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dump鈥�). Yet, more than social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, review sites like TripAdvisor have greater impact on your brand reputation and directly correlate with a traveler鈥檚 decision to book.
It may seem like your brand鈥檚 online reputation is out of your hands and in the hands of everyone else. But by not responding to online reviews, you miss an opportunity to keep the conversation going. Tell your side of the story, and you can maximize the positive reviews, minimize the negative ones and strengthen your brand position.
Add content | One out of three travelers check TripAdvisor reviews*, and they are usually in 鈥渉yper booking鈥� mode. TripAdvisor gives them plenty of content to help form a decision. Use the Management Response to add your own content. While it is tempting (read 鈥渆asy鈥�) to create a few canned responses, it鈥檚 to your favor to create a fresh response that shows you are listening to the reviewer and provides more information that either enhances a glowing review or explains and remedies the less positive.
Stay on brand | Responding to a review gives you the opportunity to reinforce your brand promise. Include brand language and brand pillars in your response when it sounds natural. Use reviews as a brand barometer, too. You should see elements of your brand promise in the reviews. If yours is 鈥渢o provide a romantic and luxurious experience鈥� and the reviews say otherwise, it may be time for a brand review.
Set the tone | This may seem like a no-brainer, however it鈥檚 important to remember that the Management Response not only impacts the reviewer but the hundreds (and hundreds) of people who read it. TripAdvisor offers this comforting statistic: most travelers (80%*) ignore extreme reviews. Keep it polite and professional on your side, and you can turn even those sour reviews into lemonade.
Close the loop | Current reviews carry more weight, so stay on top of your responses by signing up for TripAdvisor鈥檚 Review Alerts. Set up guidelines for how, when and who responds, and make sure everyone is part of the effort. A staff member at the front desk may be the best person to respond to positive reviews while management might reply to one, two or three bubble reviews. Not sure? This might change your mind: TripAdvisor鈥檚 December 2014 survey revealed that 77% of survey respondents think a Management Response shows you care more.
The bottom line: ask for the review and respond promptly. Don鈥檛 be scared of negative reviews鈥攖he average TripAdvisor review is four out of five bubbles*. Keep in mind that most reviewers want to help other travelers. By joining in, you show you care about the reviewer鈥檚 experience and the travel community at large.
For branding expertise or help developing your online reputation, contact Lynn Kaniper today at 609.466.9187 ext. 117 or lkaniper@danacommunications.com.
*Statistics from eCornell鈥檚 free online course