8 Ways To Protect Your Online Business Reputation
In today’s world, your online reputation can make or break your chances of landing and retaining clients. Managing this aspect of your overall reputation is absolutely critical.
Your store, regardless of brick-and-mortar or online locations, looks great. Your product, service, or proposed solution may have struck a chord with the target audience. You might think there’s no more to do to optimize your business.
The real, permanent ongoing work of managing your online reputation, however, is just beginning.
Online reputation is essential for multiple reasons.
First, most clients investigate your business’s online presence to decide whether they want to purchase your offerings. They research your reviews and social media posts. Anything negative that comes up can easily put them off your offerings.
After several bad reviews, your online reputation diminishes. People are less inclined to work with you. Hope is not lost, though. Effective management can help you get back on track.
We shared eight tips on how you can improve your online reputation management (ORM).
THE EIGHT TIPS
TIP #1 – MODIFY YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
Building and following effective social media policies is the highest priority for enhancing your company’s online reputation. Take the time to build a brand look, voice, and target messaging. Make sure the social media team is on board with your plans and messages, because they’ll determine how your company interacts online with your customers.
Remember a few things when establishing and maintaining company policies.
Don’t let staff members freely post whatever they want, especially if the information they’re publishing has to do with your organization. Keeping on message keeps your reputation intact. This also helps eliminate liability concerns.
Instead of open door publication, create a stringent pre-approval procedure for your business content. Instruct your team members to label their work as “Personal” or “Experimental” whenever necessary.
In addition, never share sensitive data in public. This applies to your client, legal, and financial information, because doing so can both damage you and make you liable.
TIP #2 – KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
Once you’ve modified your social media policy, the next step is to gauge the audience’s response.
Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are three of the most popular platforms you should focus on, depending on where your target audience looks. Regularly search your brand or product on each social media from a pure user profile to determine what others are saying about your organization.
When you collect data this way, you can diagnose and solve problems more easily. You can also acquire invaluable insight into client sentiment towards your brand.
Examine all relevant networks and not just the platforms you’re actively using.
TIP #3 – RESPOND TO INQUIRIES PROMPTLY
People generally expect companies with an online presence to interact with them on demand. That’s why when clients contact you through social media, you should respond to them as quickly as possible.
Even if you can’t solve their problem immediately, be sure to acknowledge it and them.
Furthermore, engage with customers who leave comments on your post generously and politely. Even if the comment is bad, responding professionally is better than appearing to ignore. Interacting with comments can help foster strong relationships with your target audience.
TIP #4 – ASK FOR REVIEWS
Online reviews offer a powerful tool for polishing your ORM. If your customers are generally happy with you, ask them to describe their experience with reviews.
If your customer base is large, setting up email marketing campaigns to encourage your clients to post reviews usually comes out more efficient. But if the strategy isn’t fruitful, try to improve it by incentivizing people with competitions or giveaways.
Which platforms you should use for reviews? Yelp and Google might be your best solution. They can also help you rank higher in search results, increasing your trustworthiness.
TIP #5 – PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY
Transparency is always key to building trust. Anyone can track down your previous online statements, any time. Trying to cover them up usually results in severe backlash.
Therefore, commit to practicing honest marketing and communication online. Consistently acknowledge your mistakes and try to make up for them.
In addition, don’t hide or delete negative comments. Apologize for any inconveniences and offer a solution.
Avoid leaving fake reviews on the websites of your competitors to undermine their credibility. Apart from ethical issues, it is a total waste of time. Google and other influential websites use powerful, evolving algorithms to weed out fake customer feedback. Hence, posting them to present your business as superior usually comes to nothing. Spite isn’t professional.
Focus on streamlining your products or services to encourage authentic reviews. Those really go a long way in boosting your online reputation.
TIP #6 – KEEP IT NEUTRAL
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when managing your online presence comes from letting your emotions get the better of you.
Discussing politics, religion, and other controversial topics can lose you a lot of customers. Unless they play a pivotal role in your business, avoid mentioning them.
Remember, the goal is to appeal to broader audiences who need your solution. So, keep your tone neutral.
TIP #7 – DON’T IGNORE OR RESPOND AGGRESSIVELY TO CRITICISM
Negative feedback is always painful. The complainer might either offend you and make you want to ignore what was said or start a fight. However, both actions are less than optimal.
Ignoring negative comments comes off like you’re not taking client issues seriously. Irate customers can and often do even post their complaints on various platforms. Since those platforms regularly reach millions of people, those negative comments can do a lot of harm to your online reputation.
The same goes for aggressive responses. That’s why rather than sending angry emails or abusive rants to defend yourself, reply to your clients promptly and address their issues as well as you can.
If a review really is fake or false, still keep your cool.
TIP #8 – CONSISTENTLY POST HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT
Building and maintaining an admirable online reputation requires consist effort. Your clients follow your page because they expect you to post engaging content regularly.
Updating your social media with five posts one day and going silent for the next couple of weeks isn’t welcome. That floods client’s feed, leading to overexposure and then forgetting. Establishing a clear routine is much more favorable.
In addition, ensure your content is valuable and niche-specific by using stronger headlines and appropriate keywords. Following basic SEO rules can help you rank higher on Google, generating greater engagement and additional traffic.
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