How to Develop the Best Online Reputation Management Strategy

You don’t need a major public relations nightmare to realize that your company’s image matters to its bottom line.

Having an effective online reputation management strategy will help you avoid major pitfalls and recover quickly if something does go wrong.

As you’re building your business, it’s important to be proactive in maintaining your online presence.

It could be the difference between success and failure.

Keep reading to learn useful tips for managing your online reputation.

Good Customer Service is the Best Online Reputation Management Strategy

Nothing is better for your business than treating every customer as your most important one.

If you are actively pursuing a goal of fantastic customer service, your patrons will be thrilled to leave positive comments and spread your message through word of mouth.

Before you invest any resources on the technical side of managing your online reputation, make sure that you as a company have taken the necessary time to perfect your desired customer experience.

Companies that do right by their customers thrive.

Those that don’t spend a lot more time trying to clean up their reputation.

Make this the backbone of your business and you’re on your way to having a great online presence.

Have a Review Generation Strategy

A recent case study done by Modern Comment found that while over 90% of people rely on online reviews to make a purchasing decision, only 6% will actually leave a review.

That means that the vast minority is having a disproportionate influence on what everyone thinks of your business!

Suddenly, one bad review has a much bigger impact than it otherwise would!

Your only solution is to drown it out with more positives reviews.  

Yet, when they asked the 1,017 people who said they rarely or never write reviews- why? The top two answers were:
#1 – Writing reviews are too tedious.
#2 – They forgot to write the review.

This means it’s imperative to devise ways to encourage and ask your customers to write the reviews in a simple and pleasant way. Trying to explain to them how and where to leave your reviews will likely only confuse & frustrate them, they’ll tune out and in the end, you’re left without a review. You’re much better off simplifying the process for them.

In this article, we detail seven ways to encourage customers to leave a review.

If you really want to take it to the next level, use platforms like LocalBizGuru’s Review Generation and Management Services to automate and implement a comprehensive review acquisition funnel and monitoring.

• Proactively collect and encourage customer reviews
• Monitor all reviews online
• Automate positive online reviews into website and social media content

Actively Monitor Your Brand

You cannot build your reputation by chance.

Don’t just trust that people are saying true or positive things about your business. Be active in understanding what the prevailing opinion is about your company.

Your staff should include a dedicated person or team of people whose job involves regularly monitoring your online reputation across multiple platforms.

They should be checking reviews and comments as well as making sure that your business shows up appropriately in searches.

Our gurus are well-equipped to handle this for you, freeing up time and resources to grow your business in other ways.

Before a small issue becomes a lasting problem, include regular monitoring as part of your online reputation management strategy.

Think about your business’s values. What are the feelings you hope to inspire in your customers?

As you’re monitoring your online reputation, don’t just check for obvious problems. Make sure that your brand remains on point with its stated mission.

Have a Recovery Plan

Despite your best efforts and intentions, any number of issues could threaten your online reputation.

Be prepared with a recovery plan before you need it. Restoring your reputation will take a smart and comprehensive response to the problem.

Your satisfied customers can be a huge asset to restoring your good name.

Incentivize customers who love your products to leave positive reviews of their experience. The more people who tell similar stories about the value you offer, the less believable someone else’s reputation smear will be.

People are more likely to leave negative comments when they feel slighted than positive ones when they feel happy.

Combat this tendency by thinking of creative ways to get your customers excited to share their good reviews. Consider offering a loyalty discount or some other small gesture that shows you value them.

Also, make sure that you’re taking the time to respond appropriately to feedback.

How you handle a harsh review can help restore that customer’s faith and encourage others to overlook the negative comment.

Always be professional and make sure that if there is a valid complaint your response is courteous, respectful, and offers a solution.

Negative social media can go viral, but a great response to bad press can ultimately put your business in a better position.

Protect Your Reputation and Your Business

The same thoughtfulness that went into your great business idea should go into maintaining your online reputation.

The good news is that by being proactive and having a dedicated team who understands how to keep your online presence optimized, you can make your business as successful as possible.

We’re here to help! Contact us today for a free consultation.