Question

What are 7 or more key ways in which marketers (in hotels and other companies) could actively and effectively engage with TripAdvisor? One way to answer this question is to assume that you are the CEO of a hotel and your TripAdvisor ratings at below 2 (where 5 is the best). What specific strategic initiatives would you as the CEO pursue to address this situation?

Answer 1

Solution:-

What is your strategy when dealing with bad reviews?

Here’s what we learned

Strategize to get the results you want

Use the right tone when apologizing

Reach out, but only when necessary

Don’t shy away from apologizing publicly

Don’t brush negative comments under the rug

Don’t try to fix something by offering something you can’t promise

Use negative reviews as a way to grow

Always work towards a solution

Be sure to investigate and then be proactive

Use negative comments to fuel yourself forward

Strategize to get the results you want

You have to set up a strategy to get the results you want. That means coming up with something before negative reviews come in, as well as coming up with a plan on how to handle them, after the fact.

Offer some form of compensation.

All businesses, no matter what they’re selling, should value repeat customers.

I say this for many reasons - mainly because return customers will spend 3 times more than one-time shoppers, and will help increase your business’ profits by 25% to 95%.

Want in on that action?

You can start to encourage unhappy customers to purchase from you again - even if they’ve left a negative review!

It’s pretty simple to do, too. Just offer them some form of compensation, such as:

• Coupon codes
• Free products or services
• Discounted shipping
• Even a chance to speak to management about how to make the company better

A small Italian restaurant in California swears by this tactic. In fact, they’ve got a reputation for customers leaving negative reviews just so they’ll get 50% off their bill. They’ve turned it into a viable marketing strategy that brings more business through their doors.

Take the claim further.

You need to respond to reviews publicly whenever possible. If you don’t, potential customers will think you’re shying away from responsibility, or trying to ignore the claim completely.

That’s never going to give a great impression, and it will turn potential customers away.

But some claims, problems, or dilemmas can’t be solved publicly - at least not without risking your customer’s personal information.

What should you do then?

Do this. Respond to the review publicly, and ask the customer to privately send you the information you need (order number, credit card number, address, etc.) so you can investigate.

This shows that you’re addressing the issue, and doing all you can to resolve it. It also shows that you’re taking steps to protect their personal data.

Encourage more and positive reviews.

Some review-based websites (like Yelp or TripAdvisor) have star-based ratings.

It goes without saying that you want 5-star reviews, right?

But if you do get a handful of 1-star negative customer reviews on a platform like this, you’ll need to collect some 4- and 5-star ratings to bring up your overall score.

Enter: Incentives.

Frankly, people rarely do something kind for a business if they aren’t getting anything in return. That’s why it’s important to provide your customers with incentives, like:

• Gift cards
• Free products
• Discount codes
• Exclusive offers for a partner company
• Featuring them on your website

These give customers a good reason to leave a review, leading to more happy customers and more 5-star reviews.