How do you Respond to Negative Feedback about your Business Online?

An irate customer just slams you with a horrific review online on your business’s social media page.  Everyone saw it, your other followers, your customers, even your friends and family.  Now what?  How can you protect your business from negative online feedback?

customer review

“The internet is not written in pencil, it’s written in ink” – The Social Network – 2010

Do you delete the offending online review and pretend it never happened?

This is one of the worst courses of action you could take.  Any successful business knows there will always be a time, no matter how great the customer service is, or attentive the staff treats the customer, someone at some point will be dissatisfied.  Maybe they did have a negative experience, or perhaps they didn’t get the service they were expecting.  Either way responses must be handled in the up-most professional manner.  By deleting an online  review you’re basically telling the unsatisfied customer, “We don’t care that you had a bad experience, get over it”.  It also sends a negative message to your other social media online followers that if they have a problem, your business will not take responsibility.  Who wants to do business with a company who doesn’t care about their customers?  It’s just not good business.

Do you respond to the negative online review in the same manner as the customer?

The answer is No.  If the customer left a bad online review and your response is just as rude and negative as theirs was you’re promoting your company in a negative light.  One bad online response can send your company spiraling downwards to the point of no return.  Even after something has been deleted online you can usually find it again, and if you can’t, you cannot remove it from your customers memory.

“The internet is not written in pencil, it’s written in ink” – The Social Network – 2010.

So as a business owner, how do I respond to the bad online review?

The best way to handle a negative online review is to respond in a positive light. Respond to the online review quickly, offer an apology for the negative experience and request the customer call and speak to management to remedy the situation.  Responses should not be emotionally written.  This can lead to a mis-understanding with the offended customer and create even further online negativity for your business.

Once you get in contact with the patron ask them what they would like  in order to make up for the bad experience with the company.  Most of the time, after you have come up with an agreeable solution, you can request the customer update their online review. Even if they don’t, putting your best foot forward and showing the public that your company is trust worthy and works hard to keep their customers happy will not only keep you in business, but will open the doors to receiving brand new customers.

Commercial Laundry Marketing – Past vs. Present

 

a history of laundry marketing

How It All Began

Marketing as a whole began in the 1400’s with business owners mass producing flyers and brochures to be handed out in the street.  The first paid advertising in a newspaper happened in France circa 1836, radio advertising began in 1922 and TV advertising started in the 1940’s.  Magazine and print ads began in the 80’s and it wasn’t until the 90’s that online advertising came into the scene, but that was just the beginning.  In the mid 2000’s and still today social media advertising is the latest in online marketing but unfortunately in the textile industry many companies have yet to jump on the bandwagon, not just with social media advertising but online advertising altogether foregoing even offering their customers a company website.

Importance of Online Marketing Today

The following are the 5 most important aspects of marketing your commercial laundry business online:

–  Branding: online marketing allows you to create product awareness with your existing customers as well as potential ones.  Most times a customer will assume you do not carry a product – however by having a customized website in conjunction to social media pages such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google +, FourSquare, Pinterest to name a few as well as constantly updating these sites with your latest offerings you can keep these consumers in the know about your business and its products/services.

–  Cost Efficiency: When compared to traditional forms of advertising including print and tv ads, social media and online marketing is a much more cost effective and productive route.  Once you have a website established, the cost of continuously establishing an online presence is much more affordable.

–  Increase Sales & Web Traffic: Having an updated company website and online social media accounts allows customers different avenues in which to do business with you – be it by searching your products and services online before even having to communicate with a salesman. The more informed a customer is the greater chances you will close a deal with them.

–  24/7 Availability: Conflicting work schedules can make it difficult to be available around the customer’s schedule. The great thing about online marketing is it doesn’t matter if a consumer visits your sites outside of normal business hours.  They will be able to find the information they need and possibly contact you through an online contact form or through e-mail – this ensures you will never miss a potential deal, even while you’re away.

–  Credibility:  The way customers perceive your brand will affect their purchasing behavior.  To keep your business credible it is important to keep your site as well as any social media pages up to date.  Having 3rd party references and testimonials on your sites is also a great way to allow potential customers to see that you are a legitimate business.  Adding logos of companies you have done business with or are currently doing business with is also a great tool in allowing visitors to see you as a successful and trustworthy company.

Starting An Online Marketing Strategy for Your Business

–  First things first, a company website is a key component to your online marketing efforts.  You can run as many Google ad words campaigns as you want, but if you have no site to send your visitors to, you might as well throw hundreds of dollar bills off of your building’s rooftop.

–  Is there a niche your company specializes in?  Perhaps you have the best floor mats in the industry and your competitor XYZ offers flimsy ones at twice the cost.  Well make sure your best products and services are introduced the minute a visitor lands on your website.

–  Third party reviews can be a very powerful marketing tool because they allow customers to show that you are a credible business without needing to show off or give your own praises.  Ask  satisfied customers to write a company review on why they are happy with your products and services.  It’s also nice to give them something in return for doing so.

–  Social Media presence is a MUST!  Not just checking your pages but also engaging on them, posting interesting content and having visitors comment back.  Make sure to keep the topics fun and interesting while still tying them back to your brand.

–  Show off your business.  Post pictures of your place, current employees and satisfied customers, company events, or businesses you service.  Potential clients love to see companies who have faces and are personable.

Questions or comments about our article?  Feel free to let us know what you think below.

We also love feedback from customers and friends on their marketing efforts!

March 3rd Is Employee Appreciation Day!

The first Friday of March is Employee Appreciation Day, and this month it happens to fall on March 3rd! There are many ways to recognize your employees, and many businesses are spreading their employee gratitude nationwide.

ways to recognize employee appreciation

Here are some great ideas to extend appreciation to your employees this Employee Appreciation Day:

  • Offer a complimentary breakfast or lunch. Employees love being fed, so buying breakfast or lunch for your employees is a simple way to say “thanks!” Gather around for a company breakfast or lunch and get to know your employees better. Make sure to also keep up to date on birthdays, anniversaries, special accomplishments, etc.
  • Help your employees out by giving them a helping hand on Employee Appreciation Day. Assist your employees with their duties, and take a slight load off of their work day by offering them assistance in their tasks.
  • Offer them the chance to be the boss for the day! This may also benefit the company overall by allowing employees to voice their opinions and offer up new ideas for the business that haven’t been heard of yet by management.
  • Provide employees with minute gifts, such as a thank-you note or a small present. Small and thoughtful gestures are always great and quick ways of saying thanks!
  • Give them time off this Employee Appreciation Day by perhaps allowing employees to arrive late to work or by going home early. Or even extending their lunch break by an hour or two. Taking away an hour or two from the work day may prove to also be very beneficial for your employees’ productivities.

 

Here at Linen Finder, we are very grateful for our employees this month, as well as every month. We are always finding ways to promote teamwork, as well as incorporate small gestures of gratitude for our employees!

Work Life Balance Tips for Small Business Owners

cat on lap of man working on laptop

Avoid burnout

Linen Service would like to challenge you to take off a little time off today and follow these work life balance tips to rework your personal / life calendar for a more productive tomorrow.

Whether you are starting up your first family practice or running a bustling trendy restaurant in downtown Chicago all small business owners at one time or another find it difficult to properly balance work and life activities; often leaving entrepreneurs burnt out and significantly decreasing productivity across all scopes of life.

Here are a few tips to help you regain control over both your work efforts as well as your personal life.

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How to Write Great Blogs that People Actually Want to Read

Do you find yourself struggling to write blogs for your company, and do not know where to look for inspiration? Is your view count for your blog site 1 person, yourself? If so, don’t worry we’ve got your back. We have created a step-by-step guide in writing fun and exciting blogs.

how to write great blogs

First, figure out what your readers want. You should have a solid understanding of what they want to see, learn about, and indulge in. Like most, businesses in the linen, mat, and textile fields have to cater to their audience. Writing blogs which are dedicated towards a business that requires these products will produce a greater outcome. However, not all businesses want to read about towels all the time. Spice up your blogs by discussing topics, other than renting quality towels and linens, that business owners care about. For instance, if you are a mat rental service catering to businesses such as restaurants, ditch the kitchen mat blog topics. Some fun blogs that they may enjoy are how to design a menu, ways to increase restaurant profit, or waiter team building tips. They will enjoy reading your blogs that are geared towards their restaurants’ different and changing needs.

 

Another great way to write amazing blogs is to add visuals. Attach fun videos, pictographs, and art that your readers will enjoy. A blog doesn’t always have to be all words, words, words. This leads us to our next point…

 

It is vital to write an adequate amount of words in your blogs in order for Google to read it, determine there is substantial content and that it holds relevant information. Although there are other metrics Google uses to determine the relevance of the information for ranking, having enough quality content is the first step. We strive for at least 300 words per blog, which is not too long where readers lose interest, but it’s typically just long enough to get the point across. Having a nice balance of word count is very important for a blog.

 

Follow these three easy steps, and your blogs will receive a larger amount of views!