The reputation that your business has is incredibly importantPeople talk about their experiences with businesses and they are more likely to report a bad incident than to compliment a good oneThe internet makes it easy for anyone to comment on your business so here are some things you can do to help build a good business reputation.
Before putting too much effort in reputation management online, check to see how much you need, if anySearch your business with Google and BingDo negative results come up? Do the websites and blogs your business runs only show up on a few hits or none at all? Answering yes to either question means that you have work cut out.
Run your social media campaigns and websites professionallyConsumers look to social media to see who you are and what your business is all about, and it is vital that your company is portrayed in a positive lightStay personable, but don’t take things personally.
Do not allow yourself to get upset with someone publicly has a problem with youThe best way to handle this is by offering them some type of solutionThis will show anyone who is looking that you are willing to go the extra mile to make your customers happy.
Be professional when posting on social media sitesAvoid using Internet jargon and slang such as LOL, YW or TYBe professional at all timesRespond to comments just like you would to your clients in a face to face meetingUse proper English and proofread all responses before posting them.
Keep your current customers happy while recruiting new customersMany companies use flashy media to reel in new customers and do nothing for their current customersThis can backfire and cause a decrease in your overall profitsInstead, offer returning customers incentives that aren’t offered to new customersThis will let your customers know that you appreciate their business.
Survey your current customersYou may have customers that have suggestions that may help you build your company or improve your productsThis can be done in several waysYou can send a survey to everyone on your mailing list or you can simply place a suggestion box in your business.
Make sure that you stay abreast of what is being said on social media sitesCompanies are discussed on these sites frequentlyWhen you spend some time monitoring social media, you can quickly catch any negative remarks about your company and implement effective damage control quicklyThat’s just one method of protecting your reputation from more damage.
You need to plan out your business moves onlineYou can’t just start replying randomly to all of your customer’s postsYou need to take some time to plan out how you’re going to approach them and what you’re going to sayNot doing this may cause some problems for you.
If you receive negative feedback here and there, you should not remove itMost businesses will have unsatisfied customers every once in a whileIf you only have positive reviews all over the place, people will start wondering if you are doing things to make yourself look better than you are.
Customers are an integral part of any businessWith this comes complaints from time to time, and you must be sure you are addressing all customer complaintsThe way you handle things will directly affect how people perceive you.
Building a good reputation is something that takes time to establishYou can spend years with a good reputation only to find that there are uncomplimentary comments posted about your business for the world to seeThat is why you need to take the actions above and create a solid reputation that stand the test of time.