BRAND REPUTATION:
HOW TO PERFORM EFFECTIVE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Protect Your Business Brand Online
People have many misconceptions when it comes to handling their online reputation management campaign. Some of them think that it’s all about monitoring social media and nothing else, while others think it’s just about public relations. Ultimately, a big portion of small and medium size business owners don’t have a clue about reputation management or how it can affect their sales and business in general.
There is almost no business out there that hasn’t had an occasional “problem” with an unsatisfied customer. Luckily, it is possible to resolve this issue before it grows to a point when that customer feels his only satisfaction is to talk trash about your business on forums, social networks or some other medium.
The internet was able to brake many barriers in-between potential customers and previous consumers, meaning that word of mouth can be spread very fast online. In the next few paragraphs we will go over a few strategies you can implement to perform an effective online reputation management campaign.
Buy A Domain Name For Your Business
Buying a domain name can cost you as little as 8 pounds per year if you purchase it on a site like GoDaddy. There are many different opinions on how much money, time and effort an entrepreneur should invest in a domain name and its features. Some CEOs recommend purchasing multiple similar domain names – “the more the better”.
On the other hand, some think that this is excessive and that it is better to choose one domain name in particular while at the same time investing time into making good content for your website. You can tell the writers to write a bio about you and your company, share stories from your life, and put that in your CV.
Be Present On Social Networks
Even if you feel like there is no time to be frequently active on social platforms, at least make sure that you create some accounts and fill out your profiles as best as you can.
You should have a presence on some if not all of the major social platforms like Facebok, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, which is particularly good for business.
Manage The Reputation Of Your Strongest Individuals
It’s very important to create a good image for your owners, executives and founders. It’s also necessary to keep a high level online presence for people who are directly associated with your company.
This is how you can build credibility, and at the same time, people can find out what skills your most important personnel has.
Because of this connection between a business and its executives, it becomes clear why individuals also have to maintain a solid reputation, because it can reflect on the company’s name. It's not an uncommon thing for a consumer to search for lawyers, marketers or doctors by their name which can bring up all sorts of information, and this is why it is essential for individuals to carefully manage their online reputation.
Search Your Business Online
From time to time, you should perform a Google search for your company, your own name and names of individuals who are most associated with the company’s identity. This will show what comes up first and what kind of reputation you have on the web.
You can also set up a Google alerts account on your name, so that you can keep track of any kind of new content that may come up. You can arrange notifications to be mailed to you at least once a day, but try not to overdo it in order to avoid being overwhelmed.
People Talk About Everything
Just a couple of years back, the internet was much different. At those times, companies were not trying to engage their customers but just sell products and services to a passive audience.
This is all because people were not able express their opinions in an effective way, and the general communication between companies and consumers was very low. But now, the situation has drastically changed. Nowadays, websites are more than just static brochures.
It is important to have user generated content on your site and to interact regularly on your social network profiles if you want to succeed in business. No matter what the size of your business is, people will be talking about you on the web. This is why you must answer any questions briefly and give out any relevant information about your services and products.
If you follow the advice you just read, you will increase your chances of not being subjected to negative comments and reviews online. Furthermore, if this does happen, you will know what to do so you can lower the damage that has been done. Good reputation management can also help you discredit any untruthful comments or reviews about your company.
Shane McEvoy is a seasoned SEO and inbound marketing expert with nearly 30 years of experience in advertising. He established Flycast Media, a specialist B2B digital agency, and is a published author of two well-received guides while contributing to several industry publications - read his complete profile here.
