Online Reputation Management

Online reputation is vital for all businesses in the 21st century, especially local businesses. Consumers are more and more dependent on search results and reviews when making purchasing decisions. More people perceiving your brand or company positively is a great way to convert those people into leads and eventually customers. In addition to increased sales, a positive reputation can improve your business’s visibility and drive more people to your website. The better you manage your online reputation, the more positive content people will find related to your business, too.

Your online reputation can be improved by integrating a comprehensive digital strategy with it. Below are five tactics you can implement to strengthen your online reputation efforts.

The first step in online reputation management is to listen to what your customers are saying. If you have a great product and excellent customer service, people are probably talking about it. Check out your social media outlets. When customers take the time to post, take the time to respond, regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative. Responding to negative feedback from customers is very important.

Many customers have great things to say about you and need a little reminder to do so. Remember the difference that one star can make? Be willing to ask customers to write a review of their experiences. Online and offline feedback is valuable in two ways; feedback can encourage others to buy your product or service and inform you of areas your business could improve.

You have several ways to gather feedback. Polls, email surveys, and monitoring activity on various sites are all effective methods of gathering feedback. Social listening tools such as Hootsuite and Mention can help you monitor, analyze, and respond to feedback more easily.

Thank your customers for their time and comments. This small step shows that you value your customers. Share your customers’ compliments on your social media outlets; positive reviews have great value as marketing content.

When you do get feedback, make sure you are actively listening. Both positive and negative reviews are opportunities for growth and improvement if you handle them properly. Proper responses to reviews are always positive, professional, and polite.

If the customer has a legitimate complaint, take responsibility for the problem. Admitting that a situation went less than perfectly gives you the chance to keep communication open with the customer. Your response will also encourage other customers to trust that when something goes wrong, as responses demonstrate you hear their concerns.

Maintain a professional tone. The customer may be wrong or unreasonable, but your professional manner could be the difference between a positive resolution and a lost customer. Again, future potential customers will be impressed with your respectful treatment of your customers and your availability.

When a customer is unhappy, offer a solution. That solution may be a simple invitation for the customer to call your company to talk in person about the situation. Personal conversation and attention can make all the difference in a conflict situation because they show that you respect and appreciate your customers. Once again, the interaction is recorded on social media or a review site for all future customers to see. Your business may be judged unfairly based on one unpleasant exchange, so consider each response carefully before you post.

Evaluate all of the conversations that you have on social media or review sites. Think of ways to improve future customer dealings and, if necessary, improve your product or service. Preparation can reduce future misunderstandings or conflicts.

All business owners would like to have 100% of their customers leave happy and provide return business. However, that scenario is unlikely. Since most consumers say that online reviews influence their purchasing choices, a crucial component of your marketing plan should be to create and nurture a positive online reputation. Online reputation management is especially vital for a successful business in this era of online purchases and communication.