Why a Negative Review Can Be a Positive Experience

November 3, 2010 by Steve Olenski

I cannot tell you how many times I have sat across from a client and have heard them say (in so many words)...
"We need to be in Social Media BUT we can't have a Facebook Page or Twitter or Blog and allow people to respond because what if all the comments we get back are negative?"
Here's what I am thinking and what I WANT to say...
Well maybe if your product, service or ware wasn't so bad you wouldn't have to worry about getting ALL negative reviews!
Here's what I DO say...
 
First and foremost, Social Media is all about being transparent with your customers and allowing the open dialogue between you and them. You cannot control the conversation so please do not even try. The minute you try to censor ANYTHING, you are doomed.
 
Secondly, negative reviews can have a positive effect and here's why...
•They show others, be it existing customers or prospects, that you are the proverbial open book; you want to hear from EVERYONE; the good, the bad and yes, the ugly
•A Social Media platform(s) then allows you to respond to those negative comments in public; it allows EVERYONE to see how you addressed a problem professionally, promptly and correctly (assuming you actually do all of these)
•This in turn demonstrates your willingness to admit fault (you are human after all) which will help establish an emotional connection
I was so excited to read the recent eMarketer story on "The Role of Customer Product Reviews."
The first two lines alone was cause for unbridled optimism...
"Customer product reviews are becoming a fixture on retail and consumer brand websites, with over 80% of retailers planning to feature them by the end of 2010. The accelerated adoption of customer reviews indicates a more enlightened approach to handling negative comments—that is, the acknowledgment that occasional negative reviews do not hurt sales."
Couldn't have said it better myself...
Or this...
"...nearly all internet users are influenced in some way by customer product reviews, according to ChannelAdvisor."
 
The eMarketer piece also made reference to a  2010 study by the e-tailing group which spoke to "the deepening relationship shoppers have with customer reviews" from 2007 to present day.
You'll definitely see a trend here...
•64% of shoppers took 10 minutes or more to read reviews, vs. 50% in 2007.
•33% took a half hour or more to read reviews, vs. 18% in 2007.
•39% read eight or more reviews before buying, vs. 22% in 2007.
•12% read 16 or more reviews before buying, vs. 5% in 2007
The e-tailing group study also revealed that consumers have some reservations about reviews, which to me, is perfectly understandable...
 
There are two ways to look at all this...
1. From a consumer perspective, it's almost a "Reader Beware" when it comes to reviews. A little cynicism may not be a bad thing when it comes to reading online reviews because like or not, there are those unscrupulous companies that will create phony reviews - positive ones of course.
2. From a company perspective, it is vitally important to allow an open-ended platform for the public to write a review on your particular product, service or ware. It's obvious online reviews carry clout so it's best to allow for reviews and to address those that need addressing and to NEVER create and or flood your site,, blog etc with fictional positive, glowing reviews. Trust me, the public will catch on sooner or later and then you won't have to worry about having a Social Media presence anymore because you will be finished, literally.
 
http://socialmediatoday.com/steve-olenski/230569/why-negative-review-can-be-positive-experience