As a small business owner, it’s your mission to find new customers and cement your relationships with existing ones. In our increasingly digital world, a lot of that work happens on the internet—as companies strive to attain online leadership. One way to do that is to respond when a client leaves a review on your website or social media profile. Use the following guide to learn why replying is so crucial, as well as how to do it properly.

How Will Replying to Reviews Affect My Clientele?

If a customer takes time out of their busy schedule to let you know how much they liked a product or how much an interaction with one of your team members meant to them, failing to respond could be seen as a sign of disrespect. Have an employee take an hour to go through recent reviews at the end of the week. When clients receive a reply, they’ll once again remember their positive experience.

If the review is negative, use the opportunity to find out what your customers want, as well as to communicate that you care about their concerns. Even if you can’t convince that specific customer to return, a new potential client might see your acknowledgment when scrolling online and decide to take a chance on such a compassionate team.

Finally, regardless of the nature of your reviews, continuing to respond to testimonials as they appear will assure new customers that you are active online. Many clients today appreciate when a business is tech-savvy and easy to get in touch with. Plus, the sites and search engines you use will see that activity, so you won’t fall out of algorithms and search results due to your silence.

How Should I Respond?

If the review is positive, thank the customer individually instead of copying and pasting the same remark, so they know you truly took the time to read it. If it was especially glowing, you can bolster your relationship with the client by sending them a private message with a promo code.

If a client seems unhappy, don’t ignore or delete the review—use it as an opportunity to show that you are evolving every day. First, send the customer a private message acknowledging their concerns and ask to find out more about the situation or remedy an obvious wrong. Then, leave a public reply proving that the company leadership is not going to sweep negative comments under the rug. Offer your gratitude for their feedback and list your plans to turn the situation around.

Interested in learning more about how to connect with your client base? Come to the “Captivating Your Customer” class at Colorado Leadership Institute this June. This Denver-based leadership training program will help you strengthen ties with current and future clients, as well as provide you with tools to educate your staff. For more information on classes led by expert John Reeb, Ph.D., MBA, visit the website or call (720) 515-8081 to schedule training.