Think online reputation management is just for the big dogs? You better think again!
According to eMarketer 83% of consumers declare that online reviews impact their opinions about a particular company, and 8 of 10 of these people added that a unfavorable entry online is the cause of them changing their mind regarding that company. Even one negative review, whether justified or not, can negate all of your best efforts if you haven’t prepared an online reputation strategy to deal with it. So to help with that I’d like to present five strategies your business, and your brand, can use to monitor and manage your online reputation.
- Monitor your business and personal names – Keeping an eye on what’s being said about you and your business is of paramount importance. Fortunately, there are plenty of free tools to aid in this regard, like Google Alerts, Hootsuite, Social Mention and others.
- Claim all of your social properties – Unclaimed social media sites can be utilized by your rivals for nefarious exploits. Be sure you claim all social sites that pertain to your brand.
- Own as much of page one of Google as you can – One assertive way to make sure what people read about you when they Google you is to own most if not all of Google page one for your brand names. This makes it much harder for flyby attacks to have much if any impact.
- Go after customer reviews – Customer reviews aren’t just going to appear on your website: you need to request them. Don’t be shy about asking for reviews. Typically, your customers will be flattered you asked. And of course if you offer incentives, let them know that you’re not trying to bribe them or manipulate their review!
- Make engagement a high priority – Engaging with your commenters, social media posts and tweets is a terrific approach to discourage any negativity from the start. Avoid getting into a shouting match though, however powerful the urge.
Online reputation management is incredibly crucial now, when customers can tweet, post or video form wherever they are. Don’t forget this one!