You might not think maintaining a good online reputation should be at the top of your to-do list, but it’s guaranteed that someone will use a search engine to make decisions about your company. According to an Opinion Research Corp study done in June 2008, 83% of consumers say online customer reviews influence their purchase decisions. If you have a bad online reputation, there’s a good chance you might lose customers before you even get a chance to speak with them. Here are a few tips on maintaining a good online reputation for your company.
Research Your Company
The best way to find out more about your online reputation is to search your company on several different search engines. If you Google search your company, you should be able to find out if anyone is saying anything bad about your company. If something negative is on the first page, you should try your best to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. You can set up Google Alerts in order to be notified of new content involving your company name.
Respond to Customer Concerns
In order to keep a good online reputation, you need to make sure to respond to customer concerns in a timely manner. If a customer needs help, they don’t want to wait around for weeks until they hear back from you. Chances are, they’ll take their business elsewhere, and they certainly won’t leave positive feedback for your company after that. Many reputation problems start when a customer cannot easily communicate with your company, so make sure you’re easily accessible regarding customer concerns. Handle customer problems quickly and efficiently.
Keep it Professional
When managing your online reputation, it’s extremely important to remain professional at all times. This is not only important when dealing with customer service, but also in response to anything you post or send out on the internet. When sending out an email marketing campaign, for example, make sure you follow the necessary steps and avoid spamming customers. Mistakes like these will not only make your look unprofessional, but you’ll run the risk of losing customers along the way. Make sure you double check any content you post online and focus on remaining consistent with the tone of your brand.
Become a Thought Leader
The more good content you post online, the higher the chance people will see you as a thought leader in your industry. You want potential customers to view your business as credible, so prove to them that you know what you’re talking about. Encourage people to respond to your blog posts or offer up their own opinions. Start a conversation with your customers. If you have client or customer testimonials, make sure you post them to your site. Once you build up your credibility, people will begin to recognize your company and this will begin to improve your online reputation.
It’s important to track your online reputation if you want to keep your company in a positive light. Has your company ever had to troubleshoot problems regarding online reputation? What do you think works best? Share with us!
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