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How to Get Rid of Negative Reviews

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Feedback from real customers is easily one of the most powerful selling tools you can use to find buyers on the web. What happens when it all goes wrong, however?

Unfortunately, your business will likely find a few customers along the way who aren’t thrilled. Whether you provided poor service, you over-promised and under-delivered, or your client was simply grumpy, nobody wants to have a negative Yelp review tarnishing their reputation. Bad feedback can discourage potential buyers and negatively impact your bottom line, so how do you get rid of negative reviews?

In most cases, you can only get bad reviews rejected if they meet one of the following criteria:

  1. The review is inflammatory or inappropriate. Think bad language, harassing statements, or threats.
  2. The reviewer has a conflict of interest, i.e. a previous employee or a relative.

If you get a bad review that doesn’t fit one of these categories, you can’t ask for it to be removed. Your hands aren’t completely tied, however. Instead of sending up the white flag and simply accepting the negative feedback, use the following simple keys to negate the impact of the review:

Respond to Negative Feedback

When customers share bad feedback, it often feels tempting to stick your head in the sand. Instead, make a point of responding to negative feedback in a friendly, non-confrontational manner. Most review services allow businesses to have their say, so don’t hesitate to make contact with a reviewer who posts negative information.

Treat this as an opportunity to provide great customer service. Express your disappointment that the client’s desires weren’t met, and extend an invitation to make the situation right. This accomplishes two different things: it shows your angry client that you’re willing to try to resolve the problem and it demonstrates your service-oriented approach to others reading the review.

Correct Dishonest Claims

Customers are free to make outrageous claims about your company online, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit by and accept it. When a client makes a claim that simply isn’t true, don’t be afraid to state your case in a kind, factual way. Sometimes reviewers mistake companies for different organizations, while in other cases, anger can cause someone to lash out with ridiculous comments. Remember, your response will be made public, so don’t respond in haste. Be thoughtful with your words, while defending your company’s reputation.

Proactively Prevent Bad Reviews

Have you ever thought to yourself, “if only there was a way to prevent bad reviews?” Fortunately, there are solutions you can use to intercept angry reviewers before they leave nasty remarks about you online.

GatherKudos is one such tool, a review filtering resource that will allow you to boost your company’s clout online, while stopping bad feedback from popping up on the web. The premise is simple: direct customers to your GatherKudos page to leave honest feedback. If the feedback is positive, the page encourages them to post about it on services like Yelp and Google+. For those with less savory remarks, comments are directed straight to you.

Are you struggling with bad reviews online? Is your business losing sales because of negative feedback? Learn how we can help by giving us a call today: (909)-748-5882

Under Construction: Building a Property Management Company From the Ground Up

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According to a 2013 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, a whopping 43 million American households now live in residential rental properties. For entrepreneurs considering property management, this growing figure represents a staggering pool of business opportunities. While the growth potential of this industry has skyrocketed, both would-be property managers and established firms need to formulate a strategic growth plan to maximize profits and build momentum. The following steps are among the most crucial for anyone looking to start a property management company.

Build a Reputation

Are you eager to court homeowners en masse, but struggling to make an impact in your local market? Building a great reputation takes time, but there are certain keys you can use to accelerate the process. First and foremost, focus on providing exceptional service to the customers you already possess. Some business owners mistakenly direct their zeal at reaching new clients, in turn neglecting those who already entrust their homes to the property firm.

Organic feedback and reviews from your customers will help firmly establish your business’ credibility, but consider joining both national and local housing associations to further polish your image. Groups like the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) provide affiliate membership to real estate professionals. Joining these groups gives you access to a powerful network of other players in the industry, while also offering peace of mind to potential customers.

Master the Art of Marketing

The modern business owner must remain versatile and in tune with current market trends. If you haven’t already established a marketing plan, begin working on identifying the niche you’d like to target and craft a strategy for reaching those individuals. Consider using a combination of both offline and online marketing campaigns to better connect with homeowners, property investors, and tenants. When in doubt, turn to a professional team to polish your company’s vision and create an aesthetically pleasing brand image.

Embrace Technological Resources

Whereas property management websites once featured nothing more than a few simple lines of text about available properties, today’s real estate firms have access to cutting-edge tools that make it easy to find new clients, process tenant applications, and interact with existing customers. Property management portals like AppFolio and Propertyware are two notable examples. Don’t hesitate to integrate these tools into your business website—not only will this approach satisfy your customers, but it will help to streamline your workflow and maximize your staff’s efficiency.

When the various responsibilities of running a property management company are addressed appropriately, this unique industry can prove quite lucrative. On the flip side, neglecting the fundamentals of building a vibrant, modern brand could have devastating consequences for the longevity of your company.

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Schedule a consultation today and let our marketing experts take the reigns. We’ll analyze your current property management site, provide you with practical feedback and advice, and help you build a strategy moving forward. From advertising campaigns to property portal integration, our talented team of developers, content creation experts, and marketing gurus can’t wait to help bring your vision to fruition.

Call us today to learn more.

Frightening Ways Your Website is Losing Leads

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Frightening Ways Your Website is Losing Leads

It’s Halloween, and in honor of the holiday, we’re going to take a look at some frightening ways your website could be losing you leads. If your website is not properly set up to get conversions and bring in leads, you’re losing out on potential business and bleeding money. The scariest part is, you’re probably not even aware of it!

There are many fundamental items your website must contain to have a high conversion rate – these include layout, design, and content. If your website is missing even just one of these important factors, your bottom line could be affected.

Above the Fold

What is”above the fold” and why is it important? Above the fold is the area of your website a visitor will first lay eyes upon when coming to your site, the area that is visible without having to scroll down. Sometimes referred to as the hero or the showcase area, this is your first chance to catch people’s attention, tell them what you can do for them, and address their pain point.

You want to answer their question: What’s in it for me?

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Does your showcase area effectively target your key audience? Does it contain the important elements that will turn visitors into customers?

If the answer is no to either of these questions, then you could be losing out on potential business.

Homepage Content
Of course, when we think about content, we think about the words on the page and crafting great copy to draw in our visitors and sell them on our products. What most people don’t know is that content isn’t just words.

 

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There are key elements every website needs to have to grab attention and convince your would-be customers that they need you. These include forms, social proof, and up-to-date contact information, just to name a few. Above and beyond that, there is a specific formula to these elements that, if followed, will greatly transform your business and increase your sales.

Other Features
Websites that are built for marketing will assuredly capture more leads and increase your sales. There are many features a website can include to capture these leads, and if your website doesn’t have these items, you’re bleeding money and missing out.

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So, how do you know if your website is effective at capturing leads and turning over conversions? Which features should your website include, and what should your forms ask your visitors for? If only there were some type of test you could take to figure all of this out for you . . .

Introducing DoorGrow, a simple test you can take in just a few moments to evaluate how well your website is at getting you those leads. Geared towards property management websites (because that’s our specialty), this test will walk you through your website step-by-step and ask questions to determine if you’re losing out on leads or converting like a pro.

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Editor’s Note: If you’re not a property manager or a property management website, don’t be afraid to take the test, too. It’s targeted towards getting more doors for property management companies, but it’s still a great test to evaluate key elements every website should have to increase conversions and sales.

Building incredibly effective websites is what we do at OpenPotion—after all, we’re marketers first and designers second. Take our free test today  and discover for yourself if your website is costing  you leads.

 

-Starr, Content Goddess

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Meet Our Accounting Goddess

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For the last several months, you’ve had the opportunity to get to know our team in this series, Meet the Team.  At OpenPotion, we pride ourselves on building awesome relationships, and the transparency that goes along with that creedo.   We’ve given you a peek into the lives of all of our team members, and now we would like to introduce you to our bosses.

Jason and Ashley are the founders, co-owners, and CEOs of this company- without them there would be no OpenPotion. Partners in life and business, this dynamic duo inspires all of us to do better, learn more, and perform at 110% every single day.  Next week you’ll get to read the exclusive interview with Jason.  Today, I would like to introduce you to Ashley.

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 What’s your background as far as work?
I have been working as the co-owner of OpenPotion since we started the company in 2008. Before that I worked as the Marketing and PR Manager for a consulting company. I have also worked as a coffee barista, a file clerk at an insurance company, and an office manager at a chamber of commerce.

What do you bring to our Team that is valuable?
I am really good with numbers, and I handle all of the accounting. I also handle all of the corporate filings and documents and  help manage support tickets and billing issues. I pretty much do anything that Jason asks me to take care of.

Where do you live, and with whom?
I live with the love of my life, Jason, and our four children; three girls and one boy.  We also have 2 dogs 🙂

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to read, sing, and be artistic and creative. I also love being on the PTA at my son’s school and doing volunteer work.

Where do you hang out at when you’re not at work?
For me, work and home are the same place so I am mostly at home.

If you didn’t work for OpenPotion, what would your dream job be?
I would love to run a non-profit organization or open a bakery.

What is the best part about working from home, and one of the biggest challenges of working from home?
The biggest challenge in working from home is being able to separate my personal life and work. They overlap all the time and it’s difficult to set boundaries. I love working from home because it gives me the freedom to be more involved in my children’s  education and volunteer at their schools.

What is your favorite advice that you like to give to clients about their website?
If they do not have a website that sells well and/or has functionality built into the site that cuts down their workload, they are missing out on a valuable tool to help their business grow.

What has been your funniest moment working at OP?
I don’t have a specific incident that was funny, but I sure do enjoy sitting in the team chat room online and watching all the funny memes that everyone creates.

What’s your favorite food?
Sushi, cupcakes, pizza

What would your rapper name be?
Suga Rush (like sugar)

Favorite movie?
Oh man, this is a hard one. I love The Lord of the Rings movies. I love Across the Universe.  And all of The Avengers movies.

If you had a super power what would it be?
I would definitely want the power of telepathy.

Share a favorite meme from the internet.

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-Starr Bryson, Content Goddess

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The Call to Action: Why one little tweak might be all you need

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A single change, 90% more clicks.

Getting the call-to-action right is a fine art. Unbounce.com recently ran a test on one of their landing pages that offered a free 30-day trial to new users. All they did was change “You” to “My”, making the new call-to-action read “Start my free 30 day trial”. Within three weeks, they had raised their click-through rate by 90%. In another example of excellent CTA optimization, MatchOffice.com reworded the text of one of their buttons from “Order Information” to “Get Information”, and saw nearly 15% more people click it.

Easily do it on your own website.

All it takes is one simple tweak to a button, and you have a recipe for success. People respond better when they a required to put in minimal effort. Single words carry many connotations, so you need to make sure you are picking the right ones that say the right things about you.

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Get us to do it for you.

OpenPotion has been advising companies on conversion optimization techniques like this for years, and we can help you. Changes like this are quick and easy to do, and it will surprise you just how effective they are. Simply click the button below and we’ll be in contact shortly to get started.

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Pssst, a little sneaky discount for our clients.

Cut some corners and get a pretty great deal. Should you subscribe to our Silver Plan, you will benefit from an included hour of website development every month (a value of $129!) to make tweaks and touches to your website. Amazing! Here’s just some of the things you could do with that time…

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Click here to see more of our Plans and Pricing.