Building a community around your business and developing the reputation that comes with it is a slow arduous process. You need to determine your target market and use appropriate marketing channels to effectively reach your audience. Then, you need to provide them with a great experience that will get them to recommend your restaurant. And then you need to maintain it.
And keeping a stellar reputation once you’ve established your brand’s presence within your local restaurant and entertainment scene can prove to be even more of a task. Although it is absolutely vital. Controlling the narrative of your online reputation is the only way to ensure that it stays unblemished and above reproach at all times.
Over 55% of customers see online reviews as influential when choosing a restaurant. Back in 2012, Berkeley economists found that a half-star improvement on Yelp’s rating could make it 49% more likely to sell out its evening seats.
Be it through positive content or bad reviews, it is easy to see why a restaurant’s reputation may have a long-term impact on the ease of selling products and services. That is why it is so important to focus on your restaurant’s online reputation management (ORM).
Below, you’ll find how to take ownership of your online reputation.
Set Up Google Alerts
Google has a free service available to business owners that will alert them to any new online content that specifically mentions their company. It is called Google Alerts, and it can help you keep an eye on everything, both the positive and the negative.
Google Alerts will give you a heads-up on what is being written and shared about your restaurant, so you can address any potential issues before they evolve into something out of hand. Restaurant owners can use it to be notified of customer reviews and customer feedback that may pop up in search results.
Monitor Online Review Sites
If you have been in the restaurant game before online review sites like Yelp were a thing, you may not think it’s a big deal if your dining establishment receives a less-than-glowing review from an anonymous user. But we have already mentioned how a mere half-star difference in your restaurant’s rating can swing business either way.
Depending on your online presence, that bad review may also be the first thing showing up on a google search. With how much people use search engines, it is not a risk you should be willing to take.
It pays to keep a close watch on Yelp and other online review sites, including Google Reviews, Facebook, and Trip Advisor. That way, you can quickly and appropriately address both positive and negative reviews at their source, which adds up to more revenue-boosting stars for your restaurant.
You may think that a response would make no difference to someone faced with negative search results about your business. 45 percent of consumers say they’re more likely to visit a business that responds to negative reviews. It is worth responding to negative reviews and keeping cool – more on that here.
Be Active on Social Media
If your social media presence is lacking, you may not be quick to hear the good or bad local buzz about your restaurant. One simple way to maintain your online reputation is to stay active on the most popular social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. That way, you encourage your local customers to build a strong connection to your brand values.
If your local competition is more active on social media than your restaurant, they will have more of a stronghold over your target demographic, which can cause your restaurant to fall off the radar. In other words, the exact opposite of your goals to bring in business and increase annual sales. A strong social media campaign that speaks to your target market and makes your restaurant relevant within the local scene can help strengthen your online profile and earn you a revenue-producing reputation.
Need Some Help With Your Online Reputation Management?
Webdiner knows it’s a lot of work to build and maintain your restaurant’s online reputation. That is why we offer our signature Online Reputation Management service.
We’ll do all the heavy lifting to ensure that your brand is being fairly represented on all the major online review sites, and manage your restaurants’ reviews and comments that come your way in the most effective and appropriate manner for each situation.
This was originally posted on the Webdiner Blog (available as of February 2023)
