Proactive Reputation Management: 6 Strategies Every Franchise Should Implement Today
By: Brynn Gibbs, Founder and CEO, Consumer Fusion
Have admin control of your listings and social pages
Gain full administrative control of your listing and social media pages to enhance your online presence. Businesses that maintain a stellar star rating, consistently engage with reviews, and ensure accurate business information tend to rank higher in organic Google searches. To ensure your brand remains consistent, up-to-date, and optimized, it is crucial to have administrative control over your Google, Review Directory Listings, and Social Pages. Whenever you open new locations, create such listings and provide appropriate access levels to your vendor partners and franchisees, while retaining sole ownership and control over the administrator privileges.
Implement a review generation strategy
Assess and select the most effective review generation method for your brand and streamline the process through automation or integration using suitable timing triggers. Google and Yelp have review-gating and terms of service that may unintentionally be violated. Ensure that your approach to requesting reviews adheres to their policies. Train your system to always be asking for reviews. Volume of reviews increases when a customer is verbally requested of one prior to the automated communication being received.
Consistently remind your system of the value of reviews
Continuously reinforce the importance of reviews to your system. Share success stories of a location that has experienced significant growth due to its positive online reputation. Emphasize the value of online reviews through various communication channels such as Email updates, Webinars, Meetings, and Conferences. Take into account that reviews contribute to 34% of Google’s algorithm, and providing Google with new content through reviews and their responses can effectively enhance a franchise’s local online presence and foster trust from potential new customers.
Monitor customer experience and feedback within reviews via review listening tools
Track customer experience and feedback through review monitoring tools.
Utilize AI-driven tools to stay informed about customer sentiments and opinions shared on online review platforms. Stay updated on emerging trends, detect positive or negative tones, and monitor overall customer satisfaction effortlessly with these user-friendly AI tools.
Consider what a crisis plan looks like for your brand
Given the rise and popularity of social platforms, unwanted content can go viral in a matter of minutes. Regardless of whether your brand or one of your franchisees has ever been implicated in a detrimental viral incident, it is imperative to devise a plan to address such occurrences so that your team is prepared to act promptly during emergencies.
Praise your top performing franchisees
Recognize and commend your franchisees for consistently achieving excellent ratings and a strong NPS Score. Let your entire network know how much you value and acknowledge the outstanding 5-star service delivered by each location.
Online reviews have become the modern-day version of word-of-mouth recommendations. Having a system that strives to always provide a 5-star experience and collects public feedback on customer experience will better attract and retain new customers, ultimately enhancing the value of the brand. It’s a win for everyone – your customers, your franchisees, and your brand.
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