A Black Woman’s Guide to Handling Business Reviews

Women are half of the world’s population, so it should come as no surprise that our numbers in various business industries are increasing as business owners. If anything, it’s been a long time coming!

Specifically, more and more Black women are opening their own small businesses in order to gain a significant financial and lifestyle freedom advantage over traditional 9-to-5 jobs.

One of the ways that you can keep your business growing is through business reviews.

To Respond or Not to Respond?

For most business owners, the focus on obtaining new clients is primary in their daily operations. One of the ways that you can show that you are attentive to your clients is by responding to all reviews that come across your radar, whether positive or negative.

A majority of customers expect some sort of reply to their review. This allows you to connect with the customer and show potential customers that you take the time to speak with your clients.

The key is to respond to comments in a genuine way that shows you connect with the customer. Make sure your reply is genuine and, if the original post isn’t a positive one, briefly address the customer’s concern.

Showcasing Your Brand

Responding to business reviews is one of the best ways that you can show how your brand communicates its message. Keep in mind that your brand isn’t just your logo.

Your brand also includes the words that it uses to communicate to your customers and potential clients. When you respond to business reviews, you allow people to observe how a conversation would go with you once they say yes to working with your business.

This helps to build the trust factor with your business, so make sure that you’re taking the time to respond to any reviews that your business gets.

Reviews Are Free Marketing

Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to reach new customers. People trust the experiences of other people who are in the same situations and looking for the same products that they are.

Online reviews are the word of mouth of the digital era, so think of reviews as part of your business’ marketing strategy. That’s why you must make sure you reply to all reviews.

Plan at least one hour per week where you dedicate time to responding to reviews on the networks that you’re most active on or have paid ads placed on.

Over time, and as your business grows, change this to every other day to make sure that you’re responding to people’s reviews as quickly as possible.

Just like you would dedicate time to social media and other aspects of your marketing strategy, dedicate time to replying to reviews.