1. Broaden Your Internet Presence
Multiple tools and strategies for online reputation management can expand your digital footprints. Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are often named the “big four” for social media platforms. B2B business like having a presence on LinkedIn. They can build professional connections with entrepreneurs who may benefit from their services. B2C prefer Pinterest for showing their products on a visual platform as well.
Businesses trying to access younger demographics need to keep their finger on the pulse of trending social platforms such as Snapchat since the fresher apps are not overloaded with business accounts. Enhancing your reach on social media connects your target audience. It will also boost your control over the top search results linked with your company if a negative review ever arises.
2. Pay Attention to Your Social Media Accounts
Online reputation management strategy explains; that having an abundance of social media accounts isn’t enough to manage your online reputation. You must be able to manage them regularly to gain an organic following. By continuing to fill your social media feeds with interesting and relevant content, you will increase your impact, boost engagement and have the opportunity to interact with potential customers. Neglecting your social media platforms might leave them too weak to outrank any negative reviews made about your company on a given social media platform.
3. Grow the Online Visibility of Products & Brands
You must build a web presence and social profiles further if your company owns products and brands with name recognition outside your company name. Develop websites, and work on rankable content for any faction of your company that potential clients may search by name.
Neglecting to claim ownership of the additional products and brands related to your company could become complicated and costly to gain back if someone else reserves their online usage first.
4. Update Your Blog Frequently
Blogging is an impactful way of brand reputation management. First of all, regular blogging allows you to showcase expertise and thought leadership in your field. Your blog also allows you to gain a loyal following by offering your readers a bevy of answers to common questions related to your industry. As a bonus, blogging offers a ranking boost for local SEO and creates content to share across social media platforms.
5. Generate and Respond to Online Reviews
One of the impactful reputation management techniques is to let your satisfied clients build a good reputation for you through online reviews. According to the local consumer Review Survey, the majority, 88% of the public, read online reviews for businesses before deciding to make a purchase. With this in mind, asking your clients base to offer reviews on Google My Business and Facebook will help your company generate a positive reputation to build client trust.
In addition to collecting client reviews, online reputation management also depends on how your brand responds to negative reviews your company might receive. Rather than ignoring negative and bad reviews, they apologize for their experience and attempt to come to answer via call, email or cell phone. The reviewer will often be willing to update their feedback with a higher star rating after speaking their concerns and coming to resolutions.
6. Listen to Your Customers
When responding to negative client feedback, it’s important to consider there maybe be some truth to the remarks being made. This is especially true if you often receive negative reviews regarding a specific concern. Rather than simply disregarding online complaints as such of a bitter former client, make sure to notice professionally while considering whether or not this feedback can improve your business moving forward. Paying attention is a part of reputation management techniques.
Businesses must treat clients with integrity and demonstrate their responses before deciding if they want to function with you. The way you handle online could be very well driving potential clients into the arms of your competitors without even knowing it. Make it a point to listen to every client complaint- whether you agree with it or not and respond with respect rather than defensiveness.
8. Make Genuine Amends
Human error is a part of life, but it can be harmful to your business if not handled efficiently and quickly. If you and your business make a mistake, it is important to own up and apologize to those who have suffered. A sincere apology followed by unconditional amends works great when diffusing a situation and repairing a professional relationship.
You are bound to get negative feedback, no matter what you do. The more important factor is how you deal with it. Being honest and showing acceptance will turn the negative review into a reassurance for your future customers. They will know that you are there for them, even if they don’t like your product/service.
9. Refrain From Online Arguments
It doesn’t matter who is right and who started the argument; engaging online is unprofessional. If you allow yourself to react to criticism emotionally, you will say or do something that damages your reputation.
The best way to the online argument is to move the conversation offline to fix the conflict. Staying professional will likely win over customers than being right in an online fight. If you find yourself or your business being pulled into a digital dispute, have time to step away from the computer until you have a professional strategy in place to diffuse the situation.
10. Invest in Online Reputation Management
Brand reputation management comes with money and time. Regretfully, multiple small businesses neglect to proactively manage their reputation until a challenge needs to be addressed. Proactive online reputation management is integral to any modern-day digital marketing strategy. If you lack the know-how needed to handle your business reputation, doing so yourself might be frustrating, potentially alienating and time-consuming for your business. A well-managed online reputation is worth the investment- if you don’t have time, don’t know where to start, or simply are not getting the results you desire, hire someone to handle it.
Conclusion
Practicing above mentioned reputation management techniques can put the business in a stronger position if or when someone leaves a negative comment or review. While proactive reputation management will likely require an early investment but it will also save you money when the early inevitable occurs. Think of it as a type of insurance, it won’t make your business immune to attack its reputation, but it can mitigate the damage and save it from becoming catastrophic. It is important to be prepared for the nastiest: If your business ends up being remarked with criticism online, there are no strategies that can implement to repair the damage.
Local businesses are vulnerable to online reputation attacks because they lack the deep insights and experience of large companies to handle their customers. The best way to protect yourself from negative sentiments and financial loss are to be proactive in online reputation management. It is a reliable way to protect yourself from negative sentiments and financial loss that often comes from them. It is never too early to implement an online reputation strategy for your business.
Book a demo now and ask us how My Review Booster can help you boost your online reputation.
