Is negative information online a cause for worry?

Use Axia PR’s ReviewMaxer to help manage your company’s online reviews.

You are being rated. Yes, even now. Today’s consumers and job applicants are judging your company on your product, your employees’ conduct, workplace conditions, and how much value you provide. If any of these aspects have a single flaw, there is potential for a negative review.

There are literally thousands of sites for unhappy consumers, disgruntled employees, rejected applicants and even jealous competitors to spread damaging information in seconds and ruin your reputation. Nevertheless, you and your company do have PR resources on your side. For example, you can use Axia PR’s powerful Web-based ReviewMaxer software to track online reviews.

What do negative reviews mean for your company?

Research has shown that personal acquaintance recommendations are the top deciding factor for consumers looking to make a purchase or utilize a service. What’s the second factor? You may be surprised to learn that it’s the opinions of other consumers – perfect strangers whose feedback means more to prospects than anything your company crafts and disseminates. Increasingly, consumers are seeking these opinions online in the form of reviews.

Consumers now travel through more than 60 percent of the buyer’s journey before ever talking to a salesperson. They put a lot of stock in what they learn about your company online, and if the information is mostly negative, it may lead them to choose your competition instead.

Also, now that Google and Twitter have renewed their agreement, allowing tweets to appear in Google searches, social media posts will have a greater effect on your company’s image online. It’s easy for one or two negative comments to spread nationally in a matter of minutes, causing major damage to your brand and a huge loss of business.

Even top recruits are known to turn down job offers due to a company’s reputation. All things being equal, your reputation can be the one factor that sets you apart from the competition.

What exactly is ReviewMaxer?

The ReviewMaxer program is a software system that allows you to stay abreast of online reviews from more than 500 sites. These range from the popular ones you probably know such as Angie’s List and Bing all the way to lesser-known sites like Fast Reviews Online and Measured Up. The list of sites includes large, small, local and national outlets because no matter what the size, they matter to consumers who are deciding where to spend their money.

With ReviewMaxer, you get:

A centralized location to see your online reviews at a glance
This allows you to avoid surprises, easily handle complaints before they become crises and ensure there is enough positive information to combat any negative posts.
Easy access to positive reviews
Use these for promotions and customer engagement.
A report detailing which sites your customers use and where mentions of your company appear most
With this information you can better focus your PR, marketing and social media efforts. Using this software is like having a bird’s-eye view of your company’s online reviews the way potential customers might see them.

What can a PR firm do to help?

One cannot overstate the potential for damage to your brand from negative information online. However, all those online reviews, social media posts, and any negative feedback can be hard to manage by yourself. With Axia PR’s ReviewMaxer, you don’t have to.

Ignoring your online reviews is the equivalent of saying you don’t care about your company’s image or profitability. The sooner you take control of it, the better off your company will be. Contact Axia PR today to schedule a demonstration of our ReviewMaxer software.

Lisa Goldsberry is a writer for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business, higher education and technology PR. Connect with Axia Public Relations on Twitter @axiapr.