TripAdvisor can be a great tool to boosting your brand, but it sometimes may be the key to a company’s downfall. TripAdvisor is a social media platform where customers truly can be heard and share information with one another. It is no secret that one negative review can lead to a downpour of negative feedback, but what does it take in order to achieve those positive reviews? There are three areas that are repeatedly said to be important to boosting TripAdvisor rankings: quantity, quality and recency. The truth is businesses need to work on their service offline in order to gain results online. This may seem simple enough, but with such a competitive market, little mistakes can lead to large problems on the review board.
Here are a few tips in how business can strive for all three in order to boost overall rankings on TripAdvisor.
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Keep the mom and pop shop alive!
Whether you own a large chain of businesses or a mom and pop shop, it is always important to let your clients know that you care about their experience. TripAdvisor can certify that online. One of my first jobs was a family owned grocery store that had multiple locations in the Northern California area. The store was known for its quality products, cleanliness, but most of all customer service. One of the requirements of working at the store was to learn 2-3 customer names every shift. Why was this? This was the key to the company’s success. People love to feel noticed. Simply remembering a person’s name shows that your company cares. Once I showed the customer that I knew their name they began to seek me out every time they came into our store just to say hi. This builds loyalty, trust and most of all makes the customer want to go above and beyond to write a positive review.
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Customers have high standards and so should you.
It doesn’t matter if you own a chain of hotels or restaurants, or a local shop, people have expectations about cleanliness and service. The standards may vary from country to country; however it is important to keep in mind that tourists come from all background and cultures. So, with this in mind the standards for your business should exceed that of your customers. One of the first negative reviews that will be posted on tripadvisor, and one that others reading reviews take very seriously, is the level of cleanliness of a business.
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Consistency is key to recency.
If your business receives 100 positive comments in July, and no reviews in August or September, your rankings will drop. People want to know how you are being ranked now not two months ago. Consistent performance is vital to receiving consistent reviews.
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Failing to prepare means preparing to fail
It is important for every business to properly train employees on how to handle difficult situations that may lead to larger issues. Preparing organized procedures for problems that may occur could be the difference between a string of positive or negative reviews. Let’s be honest, no matter how organized a business may be, unexpected problems will occur. Whether it is a booking that mysteriously got cancelled, or an improperly cooked meal that got served, the best way to handle the situation is to prepare before it happens.
At Social Mellon, preparing a business to succeed is at the top of our priority. We offer online reputation management as well as crisis prevention planning. We have high standards for our services because we know that our clients have high standards for their own business.
Contact us today to see how we can help your business stand out in the competitive market.