Put Your Good Side Out There: Reputation Management Tips And Tricks
You had dreams of running a business, and now you that you have your dream, you want to protect it right? Your business has a face to it, an image so to speak, and you must protect the face of your business. Simply put, you need a good business reputation in order for customers to continue doing business with you.
You can monitor your business reputation by doing online searches for your business. This can give you an idea of what people see when they search for you. Make sure you pay special attention to both the web results and image results. The images will show you what graphics are tied to your company online.
Set realistic expectations with your customers. If you own a small business, let your customers know when you will respond to their questions. If you cannot answer every question immediately, place a banner saying that all questions will be answered within a certain amount of time, such as within 72 hours.
Stay current on what is going on in your industry. This helps you in providing your customers with the latest information. Take five minutes a day and do an Internet search to read the latest information about your company’s industry.
Run social media accounts professionally. Consumers today look to social media to check your business; so, it’s vital your company is seen in a positive light. Though injecting some personality is a good thing at times, you should avoid going overboard.
If you make a public snafu, show the world that you are mature and apologize. Everyone makes mistakes, but it takes a big person to acknowledge that. If people see that you are truly apologetic for the wrongs you have done, it will make it more likely that they will work with you in the future.
Watch what you say. This applies to both online and offline interactions. Avoid having any discussions about illegal activity or making derogatory comments. You also want to avoid having yourself and your business tied to images that are explicit or inappropriate. Also, try to avoid doing or saying anything negative that will be on a news station. Potential investors and customers may see these things as red flags.
The best way to manage your company’s reputation online is by being aware of what’s being said about it. Staying in the loop is essential in order to nip any negative buzz in the bud. You can do this by having Google Alerts on the name of your company or hiring a company to monitor this for you.
If you receive negative feedback here and there, you should not remove it. Most businesses will have unsatisfied customers every once in a while. If you only have positive reviews all over the place, people will start wondering if you are doing things to make yourself look better than you are.
You remember the saying fool me once….? Well, customers are going to take that approach with you if you are not doing good business. You might get an initial purchase, but are you actually going to retain and grow customers if you don’t use the reputation management tips you learned about here?
