Why Fake Customer Reviews Can Damage Your Reputation
As you know, the business world can be brutal.
Have you ever been tempted to write a fake online review for your company out of desperation? Or maybe you thought about asking a friend or family member to write one for you.
Either way, just don’t do it.
When trying to build a good reputation for your business, bogus reviews can cause a lot of damage; in fact, consumers can usually spot them a mile away.
Instead of creating fake positive reviews, put that energy into encouraging your customers to leave real reviews that will benefit your business. It’s the ethical way to generate feedback about your products and services; use them to evaluate what you’re doing well, as well as identify opportunities for improvement.
On the flip side, some businesses unknowingly become a victim of fake reviews; these are negative reviews posted by unscrupulous competitors, disgruntle employees, or even ex-spouses.
Should you worry? Yes. No matter who generated the fake review, it can seriously impact your ability to bring in new customers. Consumers are more likely to believe negative reviews when researching companies – whether they are true or not.
Can you remove them? In many cases, no.
The only good and honest way to protect yourself from fake reviews is to increase your positive ones. In fact, it takes several good reviews to ease the impact of just one negative one.
So it’s best to be proactive and devise a plan to consistently generate reviews from your satisfied customers. They will overpower the one or two bad ones that may appear from time to time.