A business owner wishing to remain in today’s competitive marketplace must take his or her online reputation very seriously. Even if you do not have a website yet, you probably have an online reputation. It is up to you to monitor this reputation and constantly work to improve it.
When a potential customer searches for you online, you want to be shown as a business that can be trusted. If all the reviews the customer sees are negative, they are not very likely to do business with you. Social media and reviews are important to consumers, and they base a lot of their decisions on what their friends are saying about a product or business.
Establish an Online Presence
The first thing to do, if you haven’t already, is to establish an online presence. This means becoming involved in social media. You don’t have to sign up for every site out there, but do consider Facebook, Twitter and Google+. It takes time to set up these accounts and properly manage them. But if you are being shown in a negative light in the online world, your business cannot survive if you do not do something about it.
Excellent Customer Service is Key
Usually, the reason businesses are receiving negative reviews is due to their customer service. So this must be addressed first in every aspect of your business. When you are on a social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter and see that someone has posted something negative, respond immediately. Address their concerns directly and take steps to improve. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you are willing to own up to them and correct them.
A business that ignores negative comments or deletes them will be seen as untrustworthy. So work hard to resolve these complaints and re-establish yourself as a business everyone can trust.
Expand Your Name
You may have had a website for years but still receive little traffic. You need to get your name out there. Every chance you have to present your business in a positive light will impact your business in a favourable way.
If you don’t have one already, start a corporate blog. This is a great way to connect with your customers and receive valuable input from them.
Take this a step further and try to guest blog elsewhere. This creates valuable back links to your website and gets your name out in ways that you may not be able to.
The Internet is here to stay. By monitoring what people are saying about you online, you can boost your company’s reputation and establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field. A bonus to this is that it works as a form of free advertising. If everyone on your Facebook page is posting positive comments about your business, all the other Facebook users are seeing that.
You can reduce your marketing budget and boost your reputation by following these simple guidelines.
