Imagine avid travellers, full of wanderlust ready to visit your destination – visiting your website and finding you’re not ticking all the boxes. And the biggest box of all – what other customers think of you – is a resounding blank space! That’s a little something the industry experts call online reputation management.
I’m sure you’re wondering… what is online reputation management? It is simply a way to proactively influence the conversation around your business. If you want to run a successful travel business in this day and age… you need to have one. According to research, 70% of consumers look at up to 20 reviews in their holiday planning process (Tnooz), 33% will change their choice based on reviews and 53% of travellers won’t bother booking a hotel with no reviews.
Many accommodations, tour and hospitality operators are aware of the impact of their online review ratings on major platforms. Are you? There are countless operators not taking advantage of an online reputation management strategy to maximise the opportunities and minimise the challenges.
Your business needs to implement an online reputation management guide that commits team members to monitor all review platforms including Byolife Business, Facebook, Google My Business and relevant online travel agency platforms. As a travel business leader, you need to be aiming for above an average of 4-star ratings across all platforms, so no matter where your potential customer checks you out, they are seeing a story of quality and a culture of customer service in your business.
Your ranking in online reputation platforms is driven by algorithms that focus on the quality of ratings about your business, the number of reviews and the recency of those reviews. So to appear at the top of the page you need to be applying tactics to encourage reviews on relevant websites.
Tips to a Successful Online Reputation Management Strategy
- Online reputation management strategy you can implement today is to respond to every review, especially the rare negative ones.
- Update your website blog and social media account regularly so that prospective clients will find something new to explore. The more information they have available, the more likely they are to trust your business.
- Grow your digital presence by listing your business on various channels, especially those that specialise on your region. These are the touchpoints your potential clients use to discover new services providers.
One way you can do this is to claim your business page on Byolife which reaches thousands of domestic and international travellers from around the world. Are you ready to reap the benefits of online reputation management? Claim your page.
