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The 5 Most Effective Ways To Manage Your Online Reputation

The 5 Most Effective Ways To Manage Your Online Reputation
by Adam Blackford-Mills

The average online users spends 50% of their online time on social media alone. Are they talking about your business? Companies that neglect their online reputation risk missing opportunities and a marketing disaster.

Why should you care about what people say online?

Research shows that 85% of your potential customers use the Internet to research your company before they decide to make a purchase. This includes any social media presence you have, as well as reviews and any online news that might pop up when they type your business's name into a search engine. Part of effective online reputation management is understanding how your customers are using the web. Your website might be the last place they go to find out more about you.

Today, people are more savvy about sales and marketing from businesses. People are beginning to value the opinions of other customers and online reviews higher than anything you might have to say about your brand. Customers not only value online reviews, but are willing to pay more for a service from a company with higher reviews and ratings.

If people aren't happy about how you're doing business, they won't just send you an angry letter or write to the paper. They'll call out your short comings on social media and before you know it, you could have a PR disaster on your hands.

Social media is essentially a giant echo chamber of people's views, so small complaints can get out of hand very quickly. If you're a large public facing business like, to use a recent example, Southern Rail, complaints can magnify into movements in a matter of hours.

How can you manage your brand's online reputation?

Here are five quick and actionable takeaways you can use to manage your brand's online street cred.

1. Monitor Your Social Footprint

Facebook and Twitter are two of the most popular social media platforms, but of course, they aren't the only ones out there. Perform regular searches on your brand name or product on each platform to get an idea of what people are saying about you. In addition to being able to respond to problems (see below), you can gain valuable insights into consumer sentiment towards your brand. Remember to check all platforms, not just the ones on which you have a presence.

2. Respond to People Promptly

If you have a social media presence, people expect you to be sociable. When your customers reach out to you on social media, they expect you to reply quickly to their query. Even if it's something you can't solve immediately, at the very least acknowledge them. If you're posting content, engage with people who post comments to cultivate a lasting relationship with your audience.

3. Ask for Google/Yelp Reviews

Online reviews are powerful tools, especially for attracting customers who are early in their buying cycle. If you are making your customers happy, ask them to post a review to express their views and increase your collection of reviews. If you have a large customer base, create an email marketing campaign to encourage customers to leave reviews. Research shows that the majority of people will leave a review when asked. If you're having trouble getting reviews, incentivise the process in your campaign with a giveaway or competition.

Read full article on Business.com.