How Is Your Online Reputation Impacting On Your Business?
Do you ever stop to consider what your customers or clients are saying about your business and your products or services? What are your potential customers thinking about the image you portray on the Internet? Are your business practices effecting your online reputation? Where and when are your clients talking about you? Developing an awareness of these issues may be your first steps forward to building a positive online reputation.
If your customers are already talking about your business online you may not think it’s important to consider your online reputation, let alone worry about managing it. This is comparable to discarding customer comment cards to the trash bin in a bricks & mortar store, which of course is ludicrous. It’s critical to remain actively engaged when it comes to your company’s online reputation.
Proactively monitoring how your business is regarded online, and being ready to take action if necessary will find you in a good position should you ever find yourself dealing with negative feedback or comments. Below are a few online reputation management tips to ensure you remain ahead of the game.
Be Aware
Above and beyond all else you must be aware of what people are posting about your business online. If you fail to keep in touch with what is being said about you there is no sure way of managing it. Browsing the Internet for your brand and setting up email alerts are just a couple of methods you can employ to ensure you know what is being said about your business. Setting up a Google alert will inform you via email when any new comment or post is made online.
Be Active
Being active in your online community through blogging or forums will help provide your brand with a positive image. When it comes to online activity, the more you engage with industry blogs and forums or related websites, the more positive results will occur relating to your brand. Actually participating in the online community helps create positive press that you can use online and in turn, contributes to a positive image for your business. The more positive feedback from a range of sources created, the better your online reputation and web presence will be.
The Social Media Advantage
Many companies and businesses are integrating social media as a form of communication and mode of customer support. Consumers are turning to social media sites such as Facebook and twitter more regularly as a way of reviewing their experiences, both positive and negative. When everything adds up, social media is a great way to interact with your followers and one of the easiest ways to get feedback on your products and services.
Customer Comments & Reviews
It’s likely that any potential new clients will explore the Internet in search of reviews of your business. By seeking reviews from your existing customers you are ensuring those messages online remain fresh and accurate. Sites such as ‘Google Places’ present 3rd party reviews and comments and provide a good source for feedback about your business.
Don’t be disheartened by average or poor reviews, this is a part of doing business and not everyone will see your products and services as ideal. Look into how old the comments are, they may no longer even be relevant to your business model.
You can promote and generate new customer reviews by distributing comment cards that include links to your business profile. Attach links to your profile in your regularly distributed material such as newsletters as well as on your website. Be cautious about requesting reviews, most business directories are clever enough to detect fraudulent reviews and typically will not support a business openly requesting reviews.
If you haven’t ever considered the need or importance of managing your online reputation we recommend you give this more thought. Engage and get involved with the ongoing management of your online reputation or seek professional guidance to do so. As consumers spend more money and time online, every snippet of information about your business becomes critical.
Even if you don’t offer products or services via the Internet, any potential customer will seek out more information about your business online. They will be looking for feedback from other customers and take note of their experiences with you. It’s important that you are aware of what is out there in cyberspace and the manner in which you react to that information. Never second-guess the importance of managing your online reputation.
What are your experiences with customer feedback? Have you had a bad review that you’ve had to manage and rectify? Let us know your experiences and help others avoid making similar mistakes.
Fraser is a Freelance Journalist, Author and CEO of Pro-Content Australia – providing professional online & offline content writing services worldwide.