The Positive Online Marketing Opportunity of Negative Reviews

Online reviews are important for business success, but deathcare companies might be surprised to learn that it’s not a constant race to five-star status.

While high-quality service is obviously important to families, potential clientele investigating your company via reviews is looking for more. And negative reviews provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate that extra something.

No One Believes a “100 Percent Glow”
A couple of lackluster reviews peppered into your Google profile creates authenticity. Consumers are cynical, and any business with 100 percent five-star ratings runs the risk of drawing out this nature. Glowing reviews, especially when that’s all there is to see, can seem inauthentic and make the family in need question what a deathcare company might be hiding.

Consider it logically. When you provide such personal goods and services to families facing a difficult time, is it reasonable to believe that every person will walk away so content with the outcome that they gush about it online? It’s not, and the occasional 2-star or 3-star review tells the story of this reality.

A Larger Number of Reviews Is Better Than a Perfect Score
There’s a correlation between the number of reviews posted about your business and the increase in your revenue. That means you want as many people to leave reviews as possible.

Gatekeeping to ensure that only perfect reviews land on your profile is counterintuitive for funeral home marketing needs. Plus, it could get you banned from Google, making it an all-around bad idea.

Responding to Reviews Is Critical
So extend the invitation to leave a review to everyone. You might only personally encourage seemingly satisfied families, but you passively ask for reviews by including links in email follow ups or on your site.

And if you do get a negative review, turn it into a positive marketing moment for your business. Respond to the review, making it known to everyone that you’re willing to take constructive criticism and work to improve your services in the future.

Companies that respond to at least 25 percent of their online reviews experience a bump of around 35 percent in revenue. And given that about two-thirds of small businesses don’t bother with this tactic, funeral homes that do so will take advantage of a great online marketing opportunity.