Reputation has always been crucial when it comes to running a business. In order to keep your current customers while growing your base, you need people in the community to think well of your brand. While reputations once rose and fell in the barber shop and in the streets, the internet now serves as the central conduit for public opinion. Online slander can be devastating, but this new reality does give you a chance to assess and manage your reputation in digital spaces. Here’s how you can handle your business’s reputation online.
Keep Track of What People Are Saying
Before you can manage your online reputation, you have to get a handle on what that reputation is. You can do this by heading online yourself and seeing what people are saying. Try googling your name to see what the top search results are. Check out some popular review sites and get a feel for your business’s rating. If your company is too big to get an accurate feel yourself, you could hire another company to provide online review monitoring services.
Respond Directly to Negative Reviews
A savvy manager can counteract a negative review with a kind, patient response. Let’s say someone bashes your business online for providing poor customer service. Left unanswered, the message will convince readers that your business is seriously flawed. If, on the other hand, you leave your own message expressing your utmost sympathy and stressing that you’ll do everything possible to make sure it never happens again, you enhance your reputation by giving readers a more positive impression of your business. With enough tact and subtly, you could even convince the original poster themselves to give your business another shot.
Create Content That Defines Your Brand Online
Instead of sitting on your hands and letting others define your online reputation, create content of your own that will boost your online profile. By posting interesting articles and captivating videos, you’ll give internet users a positive impression of your business.
Don’t Lose Sleep Over Every Bad Review
It’s important to remember that you can’t control what other people say about your business online. If you worry endlessly about every negative review or slanderous comment, you might never find peace of mind. Remember to control what you can while accepting that the occasional online jab is inevitable.
With vigilance and hard work, you can manage your business’s online reputation. Give these tips a shot to control the dialogue around your brand.
Bio: Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She tries to find an interest in all topics and themes, which prompts her writing. When she isn’t on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, at the beach, or at the gym. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @RachelleWilber
