Building a Strong Online Reputation: Strategies to Consider!
Your brand’s online reputation is the most valuable asset your business can have as 97% of the customers search online for local businesses. And, when a prospective customer finds your business, they make buying decisions based on the impression of your business.
In today’s digital era, where anyone can say anything about a company, maintaining a brand’s reputation is becoming difficult for businesses. If customers are dissatisfied with any of your products or services, they can publicly communicate their dissatisfaction online for all to see.
So, businesses require an online reputation management strategy to deal with these circumstances and their consequences. By managing your online reputation, you can keep an eye on your brand’s mention, find out how consumers feel, and keep a check on negative comments, and these factors are good for your business.
Why is managing your Business’s Online Reputation important?
Your online reputation is your first impression, and you know what they say about first impressions — they are tough to change. So why not do every possible thing that you can do to put your best foot forward? When you handle your online reputation adequately, you ensure that your business seems credible and reliable in every consumer relationship.
As per a study, 79% of people trust online reviews as much as personal suggestions. If your brand image does not meet the mark the first time, people are unlikely to offer you a second chance.
Online Reputation Management can be beneficial as:
- More credibility with customers
- Rank higher on Google
- Higher Revenue
Take a look at these wise words by Warren Buffet:
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
And fortunately, doing things differently when it comes to handling your online reputation is now easier than ever.
Ways to proactively improve online reputation
Let us mention some of the ways by which you can improve and manage your business’s reputation!
Monitor your Online Reputation and Presence
Keep a near eye on how customers discuss your business or write reviews for your company. This will help you find and fix small issues even before they snowball.
It is also essential to monitor your competitors too! Whether consumers are trying to find a new restaurant or a new dental practice, they are probably going to look up multiple businesses online. If there are areas where your competitors are serving well and where your business is falling short, you should make a strategy to overcome the issue and make your brand a first choice for everyone.
Treat your Google page as your business card
75% of users never go past the first page of Google. So, try to rank higher on search, your business will get found by more customers.
To improve your business’s visibility on search engines, get more reviews, and make sure that your business listings are authentic across the Internet.
Did you know reviews and listings account for more than 25% of ranking factors?
Provide Exceptional Customer Experience
It all begins with providing good customer service and experiences to your clients and making them want to come back in the future. Listening, understanding your customer's requirements, thanking the consumer and encouraging a positive, helpful and friendly environment will guarantee they leave with a great impression.
Monitor your Brand’s Social Media Channels
Another important aspect is social media. To effectively manage your reputation, you should watch all of your social media channels and respond to comments and queries.
If you’re responding to a positive comment, just be sure to thank the customer. And, if you’re handling a negative comment, do not get defensive. Reply with a sincere apology and request to talk more about it via email or phone. This will prevent the damage and confirm that they stop trashing your business publicly, where other probable customers can see.
Work with Influencers with great online reputation
Influencer marketing has been a marketing trend for a while now. In the B2C world, big brands develop effective ROI with beauty and fashion bloggers, and the B2B world loves to listen to experts and industry influencers who’ve made it.
Working with great influencers boosts your online reputation.
Make Industry Relationships
As a business owner, you should make professional relationships with others in your industry. Taking time to build positive connections can help you win new potential customers, retain existing customers, and manage your reputation.
As you connect with other influential business owners, journalists, and experts in your industry, you will enclose new opportunities. Having these solid relationships is profitable, especially if you need any advice or information, or if you are looking for link-building or partnership opportunities. If you have a strong network available, you can connect with the people you need to and discover untapped possibilities for you and your business.
Hire an Online Reputation Management Company
There are so many online reputation management services that can improve your brand’s online reputation to a significant extent.
Hiring an Online Reputation Management (ORM) service provides various plus points. It creates online trust between you and your customers and also helps you tackle all sorts of inappropriate content. It can also be a cost-effective solution.
Yes, there are a lot of advantages that come with such companies. But, before you go ahead and do that, please make sure that you are hiring the right one. After all, it’s your reputation at stake.
To Conclude!
Your online reputation is like a relationship. It is more deceptive to manage than a normal human relationship, but the regulations remain the same.
Be mindful of what people think of you, focus on their feedback to improve yourself, monitor what others are doing, and be honest and reliable. It may not be easy, but it’s simple.
Need more ideas on improving your online branding and reputation management? We can help! Contact Tussle Digital and let us help you maintain your online reputation and heighten your ROI.