You're reading this because you're frustrated and want to get back on top. You're not alone.
A bad reputation can be a career killer and a business disaster waiting to happen. Reputation management should be treated like an essential part of your marketing strategy, because it can make or break you.
The top 25 Reputation Management Examples will provide you with proven strategies to make sure that your reputation stays squeaky clean, bolstered by a positive digital footprint. Protecting your personal and business information from being aired to the world can be as easy as following the tips below!
Introduction to Reputation Management
Reputation management is a daunting task and can be an exhausting process. The Internet is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week, 365-day-a year surveillance center, broadcasting your every move and thought. It's so easy to make a mistake.
Keeping a business reputation afloat and honest is hard work because there are so many things going against you out there. If you have struggled to build a business and a reputation, then you're probably wondering what you could do better. It is important to avoid things that harm your reputation. If your reputation goes down the tubes, it is hard to retrieve. You're about to find out as you learn more about business reputation management.
1. Your Reputation Is Your Business
It is nearly impossible for a company with a bad reputation to achieve success. Customers would not waste their time with it. When a company has a bad reputation, no one wants to go to it. Customers want to go to companies that have a good reputation because they trust them more. So, for the good of your business, you should learn how to improve your company reputation and spend time to make sure that your business reputation is protected. Apply the knowledge that you have acquired here, and be an outstanding reputation manager.
2. Focus on Transparency
To ensure the trust of your customers, honesty and transparency are key. Don't remove or try to cover up negative posts from your website. Doing this can make it appear to your customers as if you are ignoring their concerns or that you simply don't care about them. Always be upfront about any issues your company might be facing.
3. Research for Growth
Try searching for your company online as your customers would. It is possible that doing searches on your computer may yield very different results than your potential customers. This may be due to your personalization options. Try turning off these options to get a better idea of your search engine results.
Focus on your offensive strategy as it pertains to handling negative Internet content. Ensure you have much positivity surrounding your brand, and this will likely squelch any negativity. Take the time to know what is happening in the business world. This will give you an expert voice with consumers. Take five minutes out of your day to scour the Internet for new information.
4. Analyse & Think Through
Think carefully before sharing any information over the Internet. Anything online can be used at any time. Even if you don't take part in many social media, it pays to know exactly all the content that pertains to you. Even if social media accounts are accessed by just a few people, you still need to be careful.
You may be disturbed if you find negative content about yourself or your business. It is critical that you do not react without thinking. Take time to consider how to deal with the situation in a positive manner and react accordingly. That will only help your reputation.
Get familiar with the review sites that are on the web. More and more people are writing reviews about their experiences with a product or service. You never know if a review was written about your company. Do not ignore reviews, but learn from them.
5. Lead by Example
Always keep your emotions in check, to maintain a pristine online reputation. Effective stress management is a great tool to have. Get involved with sports to reduce the tension that you feel. Don't get drawn into arguments. This can be bad for a reputation.
Always remember that there is no way to please everyone. There are many business owners that get so discouraged when they get negative feedback that they allow it to mould the shape of their business. While it doesn't feel good to see negative things about you, do not allow it to get you down.
Take the high road
The Internet is rife with people who want to vent their frustrations. Don't let them suck you in. Always keep your cool and be the adult in the room. Do your best to resolve any problems. If you are unable to, take the necessary steps to remove the negativity.
Having a good reputation as an employer
Your employees are often the first line of contact with your customers. An employee with a positive attitude about his job shows through the service that he offers to customers. Therefore, treat your employees well. If you don't, the consequences can be serious. If people find out you're not a good employer, they may avoid doing business with you.
If your company ever makes a mistake that comes at your customer's expense, don't bury it. This will look very mysterious to your customers. Own up to your error and apologize. This will lead to forgiveness and you can then move on.
6. Social Media Prescription
Social media can be a friend or enemy of your business. You need to learn how to use it to your advantage. Establishing a strong presence in social media will help improve the reputation of your business. Nowadays, most people expect companies to have a social media presence.
Professional Presence
Creating a Twitter account, blog or Facebook page will help your interaction with prospects and customers. Try using a social network like LinkedIn, this social network can rank a bit higher than some of the other ones. It is also an important tool for B2B companies. Many people like to search for professional services on LinkedIn instead of search engines.
Quality Content
This is a great way to post relevant content about your company and monitor what it's being said. You should post several times a week at the very least to effectively run a marketing campaign. If you find that posting on social media sites is overwhelming, consider hiring an assistant to make your posts for you.
Keep Up
Keep updated on what social media sites are up to on the Internet. Many discuss their situations in these places. By keeping your eye on these things, you will be able to catch negative comments and then do your damage control quickly. This will prevent any further damage to your business's reputation. Address the concerns of customers calmly and do what you can to make them happy. This will benefit your business immensely.
7. The Reviews You Don't Want to Read
Good reputation management is not about saying good things about your own company. It is about your company's positive actions. Consumers judge a company by what it actually does, not by the things it says. When verbal promises are not backed by actions, the customer loses trust in the company and the reputation suffers.
The best way to deal with any online negative content is to prove a good defense. Make sure there are many positive comments about your brand so they will drown out whatever negative comments pop up. Be sure to keep posting new positive content to keep it fresh, so that any negative feedback slips in the search engine listings.
8. Deleting Negative Comments Hurt Your Reputation
When you discover that a customer has posted a negative review of your product or service it is natural to want to post an immediate defence of your company. Take a moment and make sure that you don't respond out of anger.
A ranting and raving response on your part will deter more customers than the original negative review. 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. Most businesses will have unsatisfied customers every once in a while.
A negative review that comes with bad intentions (not from a customer) can be harmful to the public, your audience, and your business. There are many other ways to handle negative reviews, but the main ones are to have a good company policy and that your customers know they can always speak up.
9. Welcome Complaints
If you make a mistake, apologize quickly. Most people realize that everyone is human and mistakes do happen. If you are able to rectify the mistake do so quickly and address it directly to the person, on your website or social media site. If you are unable to rectify the mistake, apologize and go on with your business.
If you are not aware of your mistake, customers may wish to leave bad reviews due to no apologies or follow-ups to issues. Try including a complaint form that is highly visible and easy to use on your website. Respond to them all. They will know that you've heard them and that you're dealing with the issues. This can help you decrease or eliminate negative reviews.
This article was written by 7needs, check out the collection of our business strategy blog posts.
10. Stop the Review Race
It is usually acceptable to offer a small incentive to encourage a customer to leave a review for your company. However, an incentive that has significant dollar value may be seen as inappropriate because it is like buying a vote. Check the policy of the review site to see where they stand on the issue of incentives.
Never post fake reviews and comments
That would put your business in a positive light. Whether you believe it or not, most customers will know when they are being duped and they will lose trust in you and your company. Instead of gaining customers, you may end up losing them.
It's common for new businesses to feel frustrated when they first start out because they don't have a lot of reviews. But when you're starting out, having few reviews can actually be a good thing. Here's why: You can focus on building strong relationships with your customers - which will result in more referrals that will make your business grow.
It helps you figure out what kind of content your customers want.
You can use the reviews as fodder for blog posts, social posts, and more
It gives your customers a chance to work together in order to help shape the business.
