‘Word of Mouth’ – three simple words that mean so much within the diving industry. It’s the number one reason why, year on year, newly certified Open Water Divers choose their PADI Dive Centre or Resort. So, if ‘Word of Mouth’ is so important in gaining referrals for new customers, what is one of the main tools that you should be utilising? Tripadvisor.
What is Tripadvisor?
Tripadvisor is an online travel community that utilises user generated content in the form of a review and rating score. Some Tripadvisor facts –
- 48 markets and 28 languages
- 859 million reviews and opinions
- 6 million establishments
- 2 million travel experiences
Both a website and mobile app, Tripadvisor is used as a comparison shopping website for items such as hotel reservations, transportation, restaurants & travel experiences. Used by millions of travellers visiting each month to research and plan for their holiday or their next experience, it is a free platform so it costs you nothing to get listed and the process is very simple, however it also has paid features available. Listing your dive centre or resort on Tripadvisor and responding to real customer reviews correctly will help to persuade more divers to choose your centre to dive with.
Why is Tripadvisor Important?
The answer is simple maths. 92% of Millennials trust peer referrals and are four times more likely to buy when referred. In addition, 84% of Millennials trust online reviews as much as peer referrals. Can you afford to not be on Tripadvisor? Love it or hate it, sometimes you don’t get a choice – if you aren’t listed, then any customer can create a listing for you. Its then up to you to claim that listing and manage it effectively. Tripadvisor only allows one listing per property. For more details on how to claim your listing and access the Management Center, see their Quick Start Guide.
In 2020, more and more PADI Dive Centres and Resorts are using Tripadvisor as one of their main marketing tools so here are some tips to help you.
How to respond to Positive or Negative Reviews
When reviews are unbiased and honest, they are incredibly useful. For customers, they shine a light on businesses that offer great experiences, service and value. For owners, they help attract new customers to the business and provide valuable feedback on what it does well and where it can improve.
When replying to positive reviews, thank the reviewer for taking the time to share their experience, respond quickly and acknowledge your customer by name if possible. Try to include a personal experience that the customer had with you to add a more personal touch rather than using a template response. Lastly, don’t forget to sign off with your name.
Responding to negative reviews can be tough, but doing so is important. In fact, 87% of travellers agree that a thoughtful response to a bad review improved their impression of the property. When replying to negative reviews, remember that your Management response will be seen not just by the reviewer, but also by potential guests who are considering booking with you. The last thing you want to do is turn off potential visitors with an aggressive or defensive response. When responding to a negative review, be courteous and professional and of course thank the reviewer. Highlight the positives and respond quickly. In your response, tell the reviewer that you will contact them directly so you can take the issue offline.
What if I don’t agree with a Review?
Unfair or malicious reviews can do unwarranted damage to the reputation of a business. Tripadvisor has internal systems to handle these two types of reviews, named ‘Fake Reviews’ and ‘Contested Reviews’.
A ‘Fake Review’ is a review that is submitted by someone who is either biased (you can learn more about how Tripadvisor determine bias here) or did not have a personal experience with the business they are reviewing. A ‘Contested Review’ is a review that is submitted by someone who did have a personal experience with the business (and is not biased by having a connection with the business), but what their review describes is disputed by the business. Any business can contest a review by using the Tripadvisor reporting tools. Contested Reviews are then assessed by Tripadvisor’s moderation team, who determine if the review breaches guidelines and therefore whether it should be removed or not.
Where can I Promote my Tripadvisor Listing?
There are multiple ways to promote your listing on the Tripadvisor platform, such as –
- On your website with logos/links or widgets
- In your email signature
- Instore/in classrooms via posters and on your digital/paper brochures with QR codes or simply the Tripadvisor logo and your listing name
- On your social media channels – e.g. add a Tripadvisor tab/app to your Facebook business page
- In social media posts – gain more reviews with direct links
- In your email communications or with Tripadvisor’s Review Express
Tripadvisor also has widgets available for your use. They are available in different languages and are provided in HTML code that can be added to the relevant page on your website. There are eight options in total (each link to your Tripadvisor listing) –
- Restaurant Widget
- Rated on Tripadvisor – simply links to your listing
- Rave Reviews – scrolling reviews
- Review Snippet – includes rating/ranking and a recent review
- Social Media Button – to match your other social icons
- Your Rating – simply displays your rating
- Read Reviews – takes the customer directly to your reviews
- Review Starter – allows your customer to write a review within the widget
You can also request free stickers from Tripadvisor. There are two types of stickers – ‘Check us Out’ & ‘Review Us’ and both are available in multiple languages. Looking for more digital assets? Tripadvisor has a large range of promotional materials available here.
Looking for more opportunities with Tripadvisor? There are also paid options available such as Tripadvisor Business Advantage, Tripadvisor Experiences and Tripadvisor Sponsored Placements. PADI has also run two recent webinars, Tripadvisor Part 1 and Tripadvisor Part 2 in which you can watch the recordings. If you have any questions, please contact our Marketing team at [email protected].
