Most businesses these days rely heavily on internet marketing. And part of internet marketing are comments left by your past and present customers. In today’s world it’s not who you know that is important, it’s what the people who know you are saying about you on social media!
In today’s instantly accessible internet world through the use of smart phones, the social media platforms of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google, Yelp, LinkedIn and others, allow access to a company’s current online “rating”. You can also post a review of a business instantly with the same tools. This is a good thing for consumers and can be a good thing for businesses…or not. When someone is not happy with the service you just provided, the food they had for dinner at your restaurant or the product they just purchased that broke, they can tell the world immediately. They feel better and your internet rating just plummeted.
These days, it’s very important for your satisfied customers to leave positive feedback about your company on the internet. People looking for anything from a restaurant, a haircut, a jewelry store or a property manager can search out a company based on their internet ratings while having a cup of coffee. Why would you choose a company that has 2.5 stars out of 5 when you can choose a company that has 4.5 stars out of 5?
But how do you get your customers to post positive comments? In the property management business, we have two main groups; owners and tenants. Each is approached in the same manner and good service is not restricted to either group. We work hard to provide the best service to our owners and our tenants and in providing great service to both groups, we have a larger audience to approach. But don’t stop there, approach everyone you do business with; current customers, former customers, vendors and professional contacts too.
All staff at our company are instructed to be aware of positive comments they receive from any viable business contacts. If they receive a compliment or some positive verbiage regarding a situation or issue, we follow these guidelines:
Send that individual a pre-formatted email requesting a comment.
Staff members thank the individual for the compliment and request they do the staff member a favor and post a positive comment on line.
Ask for a “five star” rating.
Provide the link(s) in your email to the social media platform where you want them to post. This is important as most individuals will need your guidance to get to the proper online platform where you want them to post. Also, you can control where they are posting so it has more value in your overall rating.
Thank the owner, tenant or business contact again and let them know you appreciate their time and positive comment.
Unfortunately, you will not always receive positive comments and that is hard to control. On some social platforms, you can refute the negative comment and sometimes that will result in it being removed. Also, when you ask for “five stars” that will give the positive comment more weight than the negative comments and your rating will come up.
The best policy of course is to provide great service to ALL your customers. Since the internet and online ratings are not going away, just consider this part of your everyday business life and just keep at it! And remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
If you are a real estate investor or property owner and want to learn more about how we can help you buy investment properties and our property management program, please go to our website at http://www.delvalproperty.com/.
Terri Ulaner is the marketing coordinator for Del Val Realty & Property Management ("Del Val"). Del Val is a FULL SERVICE Residential Property Management company with over 15 years' experience and manages over 2,500 single family homes, HOA units and multifamily properties in and around Philadelphia, PA. We advise property owners how to build wealth and financial security through hassle-free ownership of rental real estate with our NO "Hassle" FULL Service Management Program. This proven management system allows owners to enjoy the financial benefits of cash flow, tax savings, and wealth creation. All this while it GUARANTEES you will never have to deal with maintenance or tenant issues. If you want to learn more about Del Val Property, please visit us at http://www.delvalproperty.com/