A presentation for small business owners who struggle managing their online review presence.

1. ONLINE REVIEWS
DIGITAL MARKETING- 10.19.2018

2. PART 1-
THE REVIEWSCAPE

3. MAIN STREET UNDER SIEGE
▸ A New Challenge for Your Business
▸ An Unexpected Call to Action
▸ Businesses Are the Innocent Bystanders
▸ You Can Fight Back…and Win

4. ▸ Statistics show only half of new businesses will survive past the five-year mark.
▸ Two-thirds will close their doors within the first decade.
▸ Business owners already wear many hats.
▸ Rating & Review sites present unprecedented challenges.
A NEW CHALLENGE FOR YOUR BUSINESS
MAIN STREET UNDER SIEGE

5. ▸ Rating & Review sites are only growing in reach.
▸ Customers seek out this online chatter.
▸ Nobody asked your permission.
▸ The system is unfair.
AN UNEXPECTED CALL-TO-ACTION
MAIN STREET UNDER SIEGE

6. ▸ Managing your online reviews is your responsibility.
▸ There are practical tools to use to your advantage.
▸ Business owners, like you, have turned their online reviews into tools that work
FOR them.
▸ But first… we have to understand how we got here.
YOU CAN FIGHT BACK. . .AND WIN
MAIN STREET UNDER SIEGE

7. THE RISE OF REVIEWS & RATINGS
▸ It All Started with Search Engines
▸ Enter the Fresh Factor
▸ The Role of Consumer Online Search Behavior
▸ Star Power: The Importance of Ratings
▸ Manipulating Ratings & Reviews

8. IT ALL STARTED WITH SEARCH ENGINES
LINKS
HAPPY USERS
THE RISE OF REVIEWS & RATINGS

9. ▸ Google engineers realized SEO’s were using links to manipulate the search
engine.
▸ Some pages were assigned a “freshness value”– how often is the page
updated.
▸ For some queries… lists were born.
ENTER THE FRESH FACTOR
THE RISE OF REVIEWS & RATINGS

10. ENTER THE FRESH FACTOR
THE RISE OF REVIEWS & RATINGS

11. “CONSUMERS AREN’T FINDING YOU.
RATHER, THEY’RE FINDING YOUR YELP
PROFILE AND ITS VERSION OF YOU.”
Daniel Lemin
THE ROLE OF CONSUMER ONLINE SEARCH BEHAVIOR
THE RISE OF REVIEWS & RATINGS

12. THE ROLE OF CONSUMER ONLINE SEARCH BEHAVIOR
YOUR CUSTOMERS SEE MANY VERSIONS OF
YOUR BUSINESS.
THE RISE OF REVIEWS & RATINGS

13. STAR POWER: THE IMPORTANCE OF RATINGS
#1. A ONE-STAR BOOST CAN RESULT IN A 10%
INCREASE IN BUSINESS.
#2. FOR RESTAURANTS, AN INCREASE FROM A
3 1/2 STAR RATING TO A 4 STAR RATING CAN
LEAD TO A 19% INCREASE IN BOOKINGS.
THE RISE OF REVIEWS & RATINGS

14. MANIPULATING RATINGS & REVIEWS
▸ Vengeful Customers
▸ Competitors
▸ SEO Companies
▸ Misdirected Anger
THE RISE OF REVIEWS & RATINGS

15. THE BUSINESS OF CYBERBULLYING
▸ Welcome to the Club
▸ Conflicts of Interest- Business Owners at Risk
▸ How Rating & Review Sites “Take Action”

16. WELCOME TO THE CLUB
THE BUSINESS OF CYBERBULLYING

17. ▸ Rating & Review industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.
▸ Revenue model relies on flow of new ratings and reviews.
▸ No reviews = no freshness = lower rankings = lower revenue.
▸ If reviews are fake… that’s a pretty low incentive to stop them.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: BUSINESS OWNERS AT RISK
THE BUSINESS OF CYBERBULLYING

18. ▸ Weak reviewer verification: no accountability.
▸ Business owner grievance process is a joke.
▸ Lack of algorithm transparency.
▸ Remember, humans wrote them.
▸ How are you supposed to get actual reviews?
HOW RATING & REVIEW SITES “TAKE ACTION”
THE BUSINESS OF CYBERBULLYING

19. WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG
▸ Lost Utopia
▸ Fake Reviews
▸ Pay to Play
▸ Reputation Management Companies

20. ▸ The process should work in theory.
▸ Lack of users means lack of meaningful data.
▸ Competition means lower barrier to entry to leave a review.
LOST UTOPIA
WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG

21. ▸ Buy on Craigslist
▸ Buy on Fiverr
▸ Buy on Warrior Forums
▸ Companies post ads for them.
▸ Some don’t just buy positive reviews…
FAKE REVIEWS
WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG

22. ▸ Cold calls for visibility on sites like Yelp.
▸ Pay to take competitors off profiles.
▸ Pay to BE on competitor’s profiles.
PAY TO PLAY
WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG

23. ▸ Scam artists.
▸ “Operation Clean Turf”
▸ Price Gougers.
▸ Disappearing Acts.
REPUTATION MANAGEMENT COMPANIES
WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG

24. PART 2-
TOOLS & TACTICS

25. BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX
▸ Code of Conduct
▸ The Site Landscape
▸ Who Are Your Reviewers

26. CODE OF CONDUCT
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

27. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Angie’s List
▸ Types of Content: Requires written comments and a variety of detailed
comments.
▸ Area of Focus: Services
▸ Founded: 1996
▸ Annual Revenue: $315 Million
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

28. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Citysearch
▸ Types of Content: Thumbs up/thumbs down ratings and reviews permitted
independent of each other.
▸ Area of Focus: Dining, entertainment, professional services.
▸ Founded: 1995
▸ Annual Revenue: Unknown.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

29. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Facebook
▸ Types of Content: Star ratings & reviews. Can be private.
▸ Area of Focus: ALL business types.
▸ Founded: 2004
▸ Annual Revenue: 12.5 billion.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

30. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Foursquare
▸ Types of Content: Captures ratings in a binary fashion (like/don’t like).
Comments separate.
▸ Area of Focus: Restaurants, entertainment.
▸ Founded: 2009
▸ Annual Revenue: 20 million (2013).
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

31. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Google My Business
▸ Types of Content: Star ratings & reviews.
▸ Area of Focus: All business types.
▸ Founded: 2014
▸ Annual Revenue: Unknown.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

32. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Yelp
▸ Types of Content: Star ratings & reviews.
▸ Area of Focus: Local businesses.
▸ Founded: 2004
▸ Annual Revenue: $377 million.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

33. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Zomato
▸ Types of Content: Captures reviews in a binary fashion (like/don’t like). Reviews
curated from Zomato users and the web.
▸ Area of Focus: Restaurants.
▸ Founded: 2006 (Fromerly Urbanspoon)
▸ Annual Revenue: Unknown.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

34. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: DealerRater
▸ Types of Content: Written comments required. Accepts reviews from
anonymous sources.
▸ Area of Focus: Car dealerships.
▸ Founded: 2002
▸ Annual Revenue: 14 million (2013).
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

35. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Healthgrades
▸ Types of Content: Completed survey required (with email/text confirmation).
Anonymous submissions accepted.
▸ Area of Focus: Physicians, hospitals, and health care providers.
▸ Founded: 1998
▸ Annual Revenue: Unknown.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

36. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Vitals
▸ Types of Content: Comments not required. Accepts reviews from anonymous
sources.
▸ Area of Focus: Health care.
▸ Founded: 2007
▸ Annual Revenue: 14 million (2013).
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

37. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: ZocDoc
▸ Types of Content: Written comments required and only from verified patients.
▸ Area of Focus: Health care.
▸ Founded: 2007
▸ Annual Revenue: Unknown.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

38. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Avvo
▸ Types of Content: Written comments required.
▸ Area of Focus: Lawyers.
▸ Founded: 2007
▸ Annual Revenue: $1 to $2.5 million.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

39. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: Amazon
▸ Types of Content: Requires written comments (hotels only as of mid-2015).
▸ Area of Focus: E-commerce & travel.
▸ Founded: 1994
▸ Annual Revenue: $89 billion.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

40. THE SITE LANDSCAPE
▸ Name: TripAdvisor
▸ Types of Content: Written comments required.
▸ Area of Focus: Travel & tourism, restaurants.
▸ Founded: 200
▸ Annual Revenue: $1.2 billion.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

41. WHO ARE YOUR REVIEWERS?
▸ “The Regulars”- loyal patrons of your business.
▸ “Desperate Outcriers”- reviewers expressing frustration with an experience.
Most recount a story that’s reasonable. These sting.
▸ “Socialites”- writes reviews for fun and ego. See rating & review sites as a
virtual community. Review frequently and animatedly.
▸ “Snipers”- users you will never be able to please. Usually unfortunate people
in general.
BUSINESS OWNER TOOLBOX

42. WHERE TO SEE & BE SEEN
▸ Determining Where Customers Find You
▸ Get Online Information Up-to-Date

43. DETERMINING WHERE CUSTOMERS FIND YOU
WHERE TO SEE & BE SEEN
▸ Perform an “Incognito Search” on Google of your brand.
▸ Check your Google Analytics “Source/Medium Report”.
▸ Customer Confirmaiton (Just ask your customers!).

44. SITE COST URL
Reputation
Ranger
$99 per month www.reputationranger.com
ReviewInc $39 per month www.reviewinc.com
ReviewPush $29 per month www.reviewpush.com
ReviewTrackers $49 per month www.reviewtrackers.com
Sendible $59 per month www.sendible.com
Yext $42 per month www.yext.com
WHERE TO SEE & BE SEEN
GET ONLINE INFORMATION UP-TO-DATE: TRACKING SPECIALISTS

45. WHERE TO SEE & BE SEEN
GET ONLINE INFORMATION UP-TO-DATE: BROADER SURVEILLANCE PROVIDERS
SITE COST URL
Mention $29 per month, up to three keywords www.mention.com
Rankur Free, up to 50,000 mentions per month www.rankur.com
Social Mention Free www.socialmention.com
Topsy Free www.topsy.com
Trackur $97 per month www.trackur.com

46. SITE URL
Yext www.angieslist.com/angie-badge/
Moz Local www.avvo.com/partner_with_us/widgets
WHERE TO SEE & BE SEEN
GET ONLINE INFORMATION UP-TO-DATE: INFORMATION ONLY

47. MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT
▸ How to Handle Negative Reviews
▸ How to Handle Positive Reviews
▸ Find Time to Respond
▸ Triage Chart

48. HOW TO HANDLE NEGATIVE REVIEWS
1. Keep calm and carry on.
2. Do not make it personal. Attack the issue, not the member.
3. Let exaggerations and hyperbole speak for themselves.
4. Acknowledge the reviewers feelings.
5. Express a proactive response.
6. Only respond to reviews in a public channel TWICE.
MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT

49. HOW TO HANDLE POSITIVE REVIEWS
1. Thank the reviewer.
2. Show it off.
3. Highlight the features you want to focus on.
4. Ask for referrals.
5. Embed the review where users will see.
MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT

50. ▸ New Reviews (2 Minutes)
▸ Review the Reviews (5 Minutes)
▸ Draft Your Answers (10 Minutes)
▸ Cross-Promote the Best Reviews (3 Minutes)
FINDING TIME TO RESPOND
MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT

51. ▸ Type of Review: Specific complaint about the business
▸ Personality: Despereate Outcrier
▸ Example: “I’ve eaten here so many times, and have loved it in the past. This time I tried
my favorite dish, the lobster ravioli. I had to send it back, as it tasted fishy and
overcooked. I felt like the server wanted to blame me for ordering the wrong dish.”
▸ What to Do: This is an urgent one: he’s a regular customer (or so he says) who has had a
bad experience not only with the product but also with the staff. Verify that the lobster
ravioli had an off night and seek out an answer on the service complaint ASAP.
▸ Example Response: “Bill, I’m very sorry to hear you were disappointed. I’ve spoken with
our kitchen team about this particular dish. Please give us a chance to make this right!
We look forward to seeing you again.
TRIAGE CHART
MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT

52. ▸ Type of Review: Mega fan review!
▸ Personality: The Regular
▸ Example: “I loved the lobster ravioli so much! Can’t wait to have it again.
▸ What to Do: Pour yourself a drink baby!
▸ Example Response: “Thanks, Bill, for your comments! We love this dish too, tell
your friends & family! We can’t wait to see you again!”
TRIAGE CHART
MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT

53. ▸ Type of Review: Jargony review
▸ Personality: The Socialite
▸ Example: “***PASTA KING HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*** Came here with
DOOCHIN and WIZKID and OMG the pasta is da’ bomb! I have 100 loves in this
world, none of them lobster but the lobster ravioli here is off da’ charts!”
▸ What to Do: You may only understand part of that, but still… thank Pasta King.
▸ Example Response: “Thanks for your review! Hope to see you again, we’ll have
some lobster ravioli ready for you!”
TRIAGE CHART
MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT

54. ▸ Type of Review: Takedown
▸ Personality: The Sniper
▸ Example: “This place is terrible. Everything was awful. The tables were sticky, the food was
cold and the servers were SO RUDE. I am never giving them my money AGAIN.”
▸ What to Do: This might have been a real customer, but nothing you can say is going to
have an impact. Your safest approach is to apologize and get out of the way. Chances are
high you’ll never hear from this customer again. HOWEVER, others who read the review
will appreciate your response.
▸ Example Response: “We’re really sorry to hear about your experience. We would like to
learn more about your situation. I can be reached at [insert phone number or email here].”
TRIAGE CHART
MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT

55. ▸ Type of Review: General complaint about the business, lacks specifics
▸ Personality: Suspicious, possibly fake
▸ Example: “I just thought the whole experience was bad.”
▸ What to Do: Verify if the reviewer was an actual customer. If so, explore where
you may have misstepped. Address the review.
▸ Example Response: “Bill, I’m very sorry to hear you were disappointed. I reviewed
your experience with our team and we’ve addressed the [insert issue here]. We
hope you’ll give us another chance.
TRIAGE CHART
MAKE EVERY REVIEW COUNT

56. THE FRESH FACTOR
▸ Generating Fresh Content
▸ Storefront Signs and Business Cards
▸ Rating & Review Site Rules
▸ The Review Funnel

57. ▸ Target the right people: “We’d love to hear your feedback on our Yelp page
when you think about it.”
▸ Shoot for the stars. You’ll never get reviews if you don’t ask.
▸ Contact through email or text, if the appropriate measures have been taken.
GENERATING FRESH CONTENT
THE FRESH FACTOR

58. ▸ https://biz.yelp.com/blog/want-a-find-us-on-yelp-sticker-request-one-here
▸ https://www.tripadvisor.com/TripAdvisorInsights/n572/request-free-
tripadvisor-sticker
▸ http://business.angieslist.com/Visitor/Tools/ReportGeneration.aspx
▸ https://www.whitespark.ca/review-handout-generator
STOREFRONT SIGNS & BUSINESS CARDS
THE FRESH FACTOR

59. STOREFRONT SIGNS & BUSINESS CARDS
THE FRESH FACTOR
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62. RATING REVIEW SITE RULES
THE FRESH FACTOR
SITE IS IT OKAY TO SOLICIT REVIEWS?
ANGIE’S LIST Yes. The company also offers a tool called “Fetch” to help generate more reviews.
AVVO No policy against it.
CitySearch No policy against it.
DealerRater Yes.
Facebook No policy against it.
FourSquare No policy against it.
Google My Business Yes, phrased as “leave us feedback on Google”.
HealthGrades No policy against it.
TripAdvisor Yes.
Vitals Policy unclear.
Yelp Never okay.
ZocDoc Policy unclear.
Zomato Never okay.

63. THE REVIEW FUNNEL
THE FRESH FACTOR
▸ CrowdTempo
▸ Get5Stars
▸ Grade.US

64. BOLDLY SHOW YOUR FEATHERS
▸ Where to Promote Your Ratings Reviews
▸ Awards

65. WHERE TO PROMOTE YOUR RATINGS REVIEWS: EMBED REVIEWS
SITE URL
ANGIE’S LIST www.angieslist.com/angie-badge/
AVVO www.avvo.com/partner_with_us/widgets
DealerRater Inquire about the Certified DealRater program.
Google My Business Google My Business Dashboard
TripAdvisor www.tripadvisor.com/Widgets
Yelp www.yelp.com/bling
BOLDLY SHOW YOUR FEATHERS

66. AWARDS
SITE AWARDS
ANGIE’S LIST Angie’s List Super Service Award
AVVO Standard Award. Information found in dashboard.
DealerRater Dealer of the Year Customer Satisfaction Awards
CitySearch Best of CitySearch. Vote-driven.
TripAdvisor Travels’ Choice Awards, Certificate of Excellence, GreenLeader.
HealthGrades
Outstanding Patient Experience Award, Patient Safety Excellence Award, America’s Best
Hospitals, Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence.
ZocDocs Rapid Registration, Scheduling Hero, See You Again, Speedy Response.
BOLDLY SHOW YOUR FEATHERS

67. “WHERE CAN I GO FOR
ADDITIONAL HELP?”

68. QUESTIONS TO ASK REPUTATION MANAGEMENT COMPANIES
1. How long have you been in business?
2. Where are you located and how can I reach you?
3. What tactics do you recommend for my business?
4. Have you worked with others in my industry before? Can you provide referrals?
5. How do you remove bad reviews from Yelp (or other review sites)?
6. How long will it take before I start seeing results?
7. Will I be penalized by Google, Yelp, or TripAdvisor for anything you plan to do?
8. How often will you update me with a status report?
9. How active are you in your industry?
10.Optional: Can you tell me a time you’ve struggled with your own reputation, and what did you do
about it?

69. CODE OF CONDUCT
DON’T FORGET…

70. ▸ New Reviews (2 Minutes)
▸ Review the Reviews (5 Minutes)
▸ Draft Your Answers (10 Minutes)
▸ Cross-Promote the Best Reviews (3 Minutes)
FIND TIME TO RESPOND
DON’T FORGET…

71. THE END