Did you know: One Bad Review Could Spoil Your Reputation?
With the rise in social media and free tools for web and blog design, many businesses are finding it increasingly important to turn to online marketing to keep up with competition and the ever-changing trends.
However, even though having all these avenues to promote a business is a good thing, the internet is an easy place to spread rumor. If not managed properly your online reputation can negatively affect the brand’s reputation and your business potential.
Online reputation management should be a major concern for any business.
Why your business reputation online is important
- Trust and credibility – False rumors and negative reviews can significantly affect your reputation online. Your target customers are likely to change their mind about choosing your products or services if they don’t trust you or your credibility. In addition, no investor will want to be associated with a business with a bad name. A bad reputation will affect your businesses name making you lose out on major business opportunities
- Your brand’s popularity and visibility – Good popularity is important for your business. You don’t want people to know you for all the wrong reasons. If a potential customer looks you up and is met with numerous negative reviews and comments, they are more likely to choose your competition instead. Ensuring your reputation stays intact will give you a competitive edge. In addition managing your online reputation by providing great content, using keywords and other SEO tool will help you get noticed by Google helping you get a higher search engine ranking
- Development and protection of your name/brand – Cultivating a good reputation will make you popular online, for the right reasons and protect your brand as well.
- Workforce – The employees are important in any business. No qualified and honest professional will want to work for you if you have a bad reputation online. Not only can a bad reputation damage their reputation but their careers as a well. Having a good online reputation will attract potential quality employees for the good of the business
How to maintain a good reputation online
As discussed above, having a good reputation is very important for your business. So how do you ensure your business maintains its good reputation online? Below are tips to ensure your brand stays reputable online
- Stay true to your ideals and morals – Be careful what you do online. You are your brand. Avoid posting bad images or using profane language even on your social media platforms. Don’t accept bad deals even if they may be promising good money. Also, avoid using other people’s material on your blogs, websites, and social media falsely. Be principled and maintain your standards
- Be appropriate – Ignoring people online will do you no good for your reputation online. If you are on social media, promptly answer any questions asked or provide information as required. You don’t want your audience to see you as arrogant or a snob. Interacting with potential customers will help build the brand’s reputation
- Don’t criticize or bad mouth your customers online, ever – Bad mouthing or criticizing your customers online is the worst thing you can ever do to your business. Not only is it unprofessional but is unethical
How to limit or get rid of bad reviews or poor reputation scores
After doing all that you can to maintain the business’s reputation, things might not go so well and something might happen that affects your brand’s reputation. Below are ways to help restore your reputation after damage control.
- Keep in mind that time heals – When oneway or another your reputation has been damaged, remember not to stress too much, time will help heal. People like new interesting things to make fun of so remember something else will happen sooner than later that gets their attention off of you
- Work to get positive news about your name/ brand – Show people that you aren’t the monster someone smeared you as. Work hard to go an extra mile for your customers, put your foot forward, and put yourself out there. If you keep quiet or disappear people are more likely to believe the rumors being spread about you to be true. Be there to refute the rumors
- Continue providing quality products – Don’t let the rumors get to you. Continue providing your clients with quality services and products. Don’t let the rumor mongers win
- Get Professional help – Seek the services of reputation management companies to help improve your reputation. Such professionals have experience in reputation building and will help restore and build and even make your online reputation better than it was before
Your online reputation is very important, be cautious of what you do online as it might come back to haunt you.
