Online Reputation Management

Purpose (why we do this):

Online reviews are read by 91% of people and trusted by 84% of people. This leads to 68% of prospects using an online review to determine if they want to visit your property. We need to be aware of our online reputation and management to control the narrative.

Policy (what you're supposed to do):

Follow the review standard operating procedure when responding to reviews. Reviews can be responded to through Sprout Social from the following sites: Google, Yelp, and Facebook.

Procedure (HRA way!):

When responding to a review:

• Respond within 48 hours
• Use the property name for positive reviews
• Thank the reviewer by name
• Be personable and genuine
• Validate their concerns (accept responsibility)
• Apologize sincerely and genuinely
• Turn the negative into a positive
• Move the conversation offline
• Spell check!

Avoid the following:

• Waiting too long to respond
• Using the property name for negative reviews
• Getting too specific – save that for offline
• Implying fault with the reviewer
• Playing the blame game
• Using any condescending language
• Being passive-aggressive
• Reacting emotionally
• Using any negative words
• Soliciting fake reviews from employees or family and friends. Fake reviews discredit our actual reviews.

Resources:

• Horizon Review Response Generator: portal.horizonra.com/reviews/index.html
• Sprout Social: https://app.sproutsocial.com/dashboard/ 
• Yelp for Business: https://biz.yelp.com
• Email Megan Bennett, mbennett@horizonra.com for assistance with difficult reviews.