5 stars, it’s synonymous with quality and success. But what about the dreaded one star review? Recent statistics show that even one bad review can impact your business and as you can imagine, with each subsequent piece of negative feedback it will continue to snowball at an alarming rate!

So what can you do in the wake of a negative review?  Your first instinct may be to ignore it.  In almost all cases, inaction is NOT the way to go.  Think about it, let’s say you’re looking to go out to dinner. The restaurant you’ve been dying to check out has a dreaded 1 star kiss of death from Megan. Megan was unhappy with her dining experience and has decided to let the world know online.  But in reading Megan’s seething words, you see that the restaurant has not only responded to her rant in a professional, non confrontational manner, but they have taken steps to ensure that they will do their best to remedy the situation and improve moving forward.  

Now imagine you read that same review and there’s radio silence. What would you be left feeling about the restaurant and how it conducts business? I’m guessing it wouldn’t be all the warm and fuzzy feelings. How you handle negativity will make the difference between strengthening customer loyalty versus damaging your bottom line. 

What is put out in the ether will live there seemingly forever. As marketers, we at IOI know that not only is content important - but also how you handle the good, bad and the ugly, matters. Leading with integrity and attentiveness to our clients is what we take the most pride in.  The reality is that consumers are more inclined to voice their negative opinions before the positive ones. It’s easy to hide behind a screen, right? In dealing with these situations head on, it shows that you are committed to remaining, not only loyal to your customer but also to your company.