Reputation management
From five stars to full visibility: a reputation management strategy for a nonprofit café.
By the numbers
Challenge
The café earned a 5-star Google rating and strong word-of-mouth, yet ran almost no active online reputation management. It held only 23 Google reviews across uneven gaps averaging 2.8 months, carried no Yelp profile, and showed no Facebook reviews. As a nonprofit that reinvests revenue into its community mission, operating on a limited budget with a leadership team new to brand strategy, the café needed a realistic, low-cost way to build consistent visibility and trust.
Process
Opened with a full brand audit across Google, Yelp, and Facebook to map rating, review volume, recency, and sentiment. Benchmarked two local competitors on the same measures to surface gaps in visibility and active management.
Ran a SWOT analysis and pinpointed the two factors local consumers weigh most, recency and overall rating. Translated those findings into repeatable frameworks: a review response decision matrix, a crisis management framework, and a KPI tracker, then tested generative AI to draft warm, on-brand replies.
Solution
Recommended claiming and actively managing profiles on Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook, and applying for Google for Nonprofits and the YouTube Nonprofit Program to add free reach. Grew review volume with a 10% in-store coupon for leaving a review, paired with staff training on requesting reviews, spotting fake ones, and elevating service. Held a 24-hour response standard for all feedback, guided by the response matrix and crisis framework, with AI-assisted replies that stay respectful, mission-aligned, and quick to move detailed concerns to private channels, all sized to a nonprofit budget.
Deliverables
Delivered a reputation management roadmap and a set of reusable frameworks the café could adopt across Google, Yelp, and Facebook. One year on, the café's Google review count has grown by roughly 26%.
Skills & methods