Arrive Magazine - July/August, 2010

reviews. Nearly half of its visitors are under age 34, and 82 percent haven’t yet hit 50. Volunteer reviewers add a million new critiques each month. And the site is just 5 years old.

Citysearch, which debuted in 1996, draws more than 20 million users each month to check out over 3 million reviews of businesses in 75,000 cities and towns. Even e-tail behemoth Amazon includes reviews of its books and products, and clothing retailers such as L.L. Bean and Sierra Trading Post publish customer-supplied feedback about each item.

In just half a decade, the mammoth
influence of online reviews has dramati-
cally changed the rules of engagement
for customers and business owners.
Customers can post their gripes—even
gratuitous ones—anonymously, assign
a rating and share that opinion instantly
with millions of strangers. The custom-
ers may always be right; now they’re also
extremely outspoken.

David vs. Goliath 2.0

“The Internet has heralded a new demo-
cracy,” says Michael Fertik, CEO of
ReputationDefender, which helps com-
panies repair tarnished online images.
“One person can take on a giant com-
pany and have a huge voice.”
No wonder business owners are
responding to what they consider to
be unfair or even bogus critiques with
everything from deafening silence to
defamation lawsuits. Some businesses
have ignored online review sites, prefer-
ring instead to focus on advertising and
word of mouth. But dentists, caterers
and other business owners who don’t
know what customers are saying about
their employees, products or services are
losing a critical opportunity to define,
shape and protect their image and brand.

“You have to throw away the mentality that online reviews, on sites and the Internet, don’t matter,” says Jenna Weinerman, marketing and public relations coordinator for the Chelsea Piers recreation complex in New York City. She spends hours each week poring over online comments about Chelsea Piers’ spa, gym, bowling alleys and golf club. The senior vice president of marketing responds to every comment, which, Weinerman says, shows that the business is approachable and concerned.

Consider the Source
Weinerman looks for patterns in criti-
cism. For instance, several regular Yelp
reviewers recently commented that
their spa treatments were punctuated
by loud noises from the weight room
above. That’s a valid complaint, she says,
because the spa is in the sports center.
The sta; is exploring how to mu;e
disruptive sounds. But she dismisses an
anonymous Yelp review from “Me T.,”
who groused, “Half the trainers are not
even doing proper training. They are
just a psychologist for lonely people that
just need someone to talk to. THUMBS
DOWN ON THIS G YM!”
“It doesn’t surprise me that our only
one-star review came from someone
who’s posted only one review,” Weiner-
man says. “He signed on just so he could
write this.”
The most credible reviews come from
regular posters who eschew anonymity,

“The Internet has
heralded a new
democracy. One
person can take on
a giant company
and have a huge
voice.”—Michael
Fertik, CEO of
ReputationDefender

says Chantelle Karl, Yelp’s East Coast public relations manager, who notes that about 85 percent of Yelp reviews are at least three stars.

Online review sites advise business owners to answer criticism in a pleasant, nonthreatening way.

“Just having a response is so much better than leaving a negative piece of feedback hanging,” says Michael Francesconi, Citysearch’s director of community.

But Fertik, of ReputationDefender, disagrees strongly, warning that any online “conversation” can be misconstrued by the disgruntled customer and can trigger even more negative publicity.