2 Simple Solutions for Your Business’ Online Reputation
Working toward a glowing online reputation is a no-brainer for any marketing director or business owner—but do you know how to get there?
When’s the last time you went online shopping? Whether you were scrolling Zillow or Trulia for homes on the market, searching Target’s online inventory of clothes, or finding your way through Amazon’s endless list of add-ons, you probably lack the same thing no matter what site you’re on…
Patience.
In today’s marketplace, buyers want to get exactly the information they’re looking for in seven seconds or less. Talk about instant gratification!
People look for a number of stars, reviews, and thumbs-up icons in order to make “informed decisions.” That means that every business that relies on generating customers—no matter the industry—needs to pay attention to their online reputation (and do something about it).
With reputation management—one of the hottest marketing buzzwords of 2018—you can filter, monitor, and adjust the positive online reviews your business receives from customers. Like we discussed in our previous post about wielding the power of reputation management, there’s a few ways you can spotlight the positive image of your business that you do want, while filtering out the not-so-great reviews that could hurt your business
Two of the main ways to do that are through listening and by actively combating negative feedback. Check out how you can apply it to your business:
1) Listen To What People Are Saying
The first step to managing your online reputation is seeking out the people that are talking about you.
The majority of customers really pay attention to these star ratings, and many of them will take the time to read through both positive and negative reviews to get a better opinion about the services you offer. This is exactly why it matters for you to monitor your business’ online reputation at least once every few weeks.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Yelp, and Google Reviews allow people to review businesses and services any time, any place. These are great places to start. It’s also important to regularly Google your business’s name to see where you stand among your competitors in terms of reviews, stars, and ranking. You can even set up a Google Alert to receive an automatic message in your inbox whenever your business’ name is mentioned in something published online!
However, user review sites like Yelp don’t allow businesses to remove negative reviews. Once someone leaves a negative review, it’s there to stay. This is where reputation management services come into play!
Check out a few of the key tactics involved in reputation management:
2) Take Action Against Negativity
If you notice a low star rating for your business or a negative blog post about your services, there isn’t much you can do to make it vanish.
However, you can hide it underneath more positive content. Be sure to encourage your most valued customers to write positive reviews, or reach out to those who wrote negative reviews to see if there’s anything you can do to turn their experience around. At the end of the day, people want to feel heard and valued. Reaching out to an unhappy customer and offering them some remediation can really help!
Maintaining a positive web presence for your business can’t be stressed enough. It will earn you more leads, sales, and revenue, highlight the best parts of your company, and make hiring a breeze—a glowing reputation attracts glowing talent! At CEA Marketing, we’re here to help you do just that.
Schedule a consultation with Kelly to get your online reputation on track today!
{{cta(‘8a5e3225-f2fa-400a-a1c3-8bcc78163937′,’justifyleft’)}}