Effective management is a goal for every business, and the word management is like the root of a tree that supports branches or serves as a core. Proper management is necessary for every profession. Effective planning and execution will eventually yield the desired outcomes.
Do you ever think about what impacts the online reputation of your business?
Guests/Travelers determine your hotel’s reputation based on comments on Facebook and Instagram or reviews on Tripadvisor, Booking.com, and other travel websites.
So you may think, how am I supposed to control what people post?
Let’s start with the basics first!
You may have a good hotel business; however, maintaining its online reputation is a separate, essential task.
These days, the majority of hotels seek help from professional reputation management companies. These companies focus on building a positive image for your Online Reputation & damage control, if necessary.
Reputation is a very delicate concept and must be handled carefully. When selecting a reputation management company for your hotel, many factors can affect your decision.
We considered several aspects to choose the best services, including pricing and contract terms, innovative offerings, and if they employ black-hat methods. Read more to get a clear idea about how a Reputation Management Company works and how you should choose one.
According to TripAdvisor:
It’s clear that people rely heavily on online reviews when booking hotels or even shopping for regular items. If people see one bad review, they will keep it in mind. Therefore, reviews can have a tremendously negative impact on a hotel's reputation.
However, consider if there is a bad review with a reply that properly explains the scenario with an apology. A positive response will leave a better impact than leaving the review blank.
For example, there is a review stating:
When potential customers read this review, it creates a bad reputation. Now, consider if the same review is responded to with a proper explanation:
When the customers feel like they are heard and management takes their concerns seriously, it builds trust. This relationship can take your hotel business a long way.
So now, let’s see why you need to hire a Reputation Management Company for your hotel and its features.
Any hotel owner would want a highly-effective Reputation Management System for their hotel business. When you hire a company, you must also see what processes they carry out under Reputation Management. You should always be aware of what the company does for you and whether it is working.
Let's have a look.
The first step of Reputation Management for any hotel is responding to every review.
Replying to a hotel's reviews on different Online Travel Agents (OTA’s) will deliver an excellent reputation to the customers.
Every review must be customized. Diverse responses will ensure guests feel understood and appreciated.
Understanding guest emotions is vital. When a guest leaves a review for your hotel, it's necessary to pay attention to them.
With these INNsights, a hotel owner can get an accurate idea about what changes the hotel needs.
For example, if your hotel is getting a lot of reviews about dirty lobbies or uncomfortable beds, you know where you need to improve.
Therefore, the Reputation Management system can make you focus on the details you were unaware of.
Whenever there are negative reviews about the hotel, the company managing its reputation services will send negative feedback to the client.
After getting a proper response and fact check, the review will be responded to regarding what the hotel management provides.
Unfortunately, sometimes people post negative reviews to damage the hotel's reputation, and soliciting reviews becomes very important in cases like this.
Learn how to manage negative reviews on Google Business Profile Manager.
Customer relationships take time. Responding to reviews is the best way to enhance relationships with your customers quickly. Guests will become loyal customers with the help of reputation management.
Let's say a guest left a review saying his money was deducted incorrectly and needed a refund.
Reputation management would respond with the best solution. You can improve your online reputation by simultaneously enhancing customer relationships.
Reputation Analytics tracks your reputation score online across various channels to see how you are trending and where you stand compared to competitors.
This detailed analytics report includes the number of reviews received and responses given in a certain period.
The ratings of the reviews matter the most, and proper analysis is done regarding those scores.
There can be monthly, quarterly and yearly reports for a better understanding.
By doing this, the hotel owner can stay aware of the worst/best qualities, which speeds up improvement and growth.
Timing is crucial. The most important thing about Reputation Management is never missing out on any reviews on any platforms.
The reputation management system must ensure that every review gets a reply within 48 hours. Prompt responses indicate that the business values the opinions of guests.
Responding to the reviews is a more significant task than you think.
Each review must be customized according to the guest review.
When you leave a unique response, the customer on the other end thinks every review is crucial for you. This increases your hotel’s reputation and makes the customers feel valued.
As a result, you will see an increase in bookers and a gradual increase in loyal customers.
The reputation management system you hire must have effective strategies to convert the reach into customers.
Once your reputation is handled, you will eventually see your hotel ranking rise on channels.
Your hotel will gain more traction, and your hotel name will come at the top when any customer is looking for a hotel in a particular area.
For example,
Dan is the owner of Hotel Sea View.
He subscribed to INNsight for all the reputation management-related services.
As a result, all the reviews on Google, Yelp, Expedia, Booking.com, and TripAdvisor were responded to with a customized response.
This boosted the hotel’s rating, and in no time, the hotel was at the top of search engines.
Eventually, the hotel saw substantial growth in the number of reservations.
A dedicated account manager is what you need to accelerate your reputation online.
The dedicated account manager will focus on your brand and make a completely customized strategy to boost your online rankings and scores.
As a result, your brand will become more compelling, and you will see an increase in conversions and business revenue.
Reputation management is constantly evolving. Customer needs and behaviors will change, so learning and updating your strategies is essential.
One way to always stay on top of the game is to research constantly. The reputation management company you hire must have the knowledge and strategies for the most challenging clients.
Choosing the BEST Reputation Management company for your hotel is an important task.
Now that you have reached this point, you are already aware of ‘why do you need to hire a Reputation Management company?’ along with the features of a highly-effective reputation management system for hotels.
These points are very crucial when choosing the perfect match for your hotel.
While you might have selected some companies to consider, choose the company that suits you the best in terms of price, plan, and duration.
A. A Reputation Management System handles the online reputation of the hotels. When the hotel receives reviews on different platforms, it becomes necessary to reply to each one of them to maintain their reputation.
A. Your review ranking is taken into account by search engines when computing page rank. Therefore, you need to make sure you have positive reviews that are high quality. Your Google reviews will also have a significant impact on your click-through rate, which can further impact your SEO rankings.
A. Check to see if a reputation management firm offers a particular service before working with them.
Check to see if the company:
INNsight covers all the above-mentioned attributes and takes proper care of its clients.
A. Although the SERM agency cannot provide you with a precise response, they can promise that you will receive a more thorough estimate following the audit. Ask them to give a more comprehensive breakdown of the project's work plan if you are promised immediate results.
A. If your sole purpose is to minimize negative reviews or eliminate unwanted links, the agency shouldn't insist on continuing to work with you. They may continue the project for you and help you maintain your reputation through regular mention monitoring, prompt responses to comments, handling negative reviews, engaging with the target audience, etc.
A. INNsight will actively monitor your online reputation on well-known review aggregator websites like Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Expedia, and Medallia. Additionally, suppose you have INNsight's Premium Package. In that case, your account manager will handle and keep an eye on your Facebook and Twitter social media profiles, giving you a comprehensive overview of your online reputation.
A. Subscribers will receive a thorough Monthly Reputations Trend Report that includes information on all of the reviews, comments, and essential data about their online reputation scores. Additionally, you will notice a Sentiment Analysis section when you log in where we have highlighted the critical areas of focus that clients have acknowledged so you can see what you are doing well and what may be improved.
There are many reputation management companies on the market. Every company has different expertise and different features. INNsight is an excellent choice. INNsight will walk you through a plan of what to expect based on your goals and budget after providing you with a free reputation study.
If you want our team to help you achieve your marketing goals and drive more direct revenue, contact us today!
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