You own a business you’re proud of, right? And you’d be crushed if anyone said anything bad about it.
Many owners don’t think about it but this happens all the time. Consumers take to the Internet to voice complaints. Even the smallest issue could send someone to write a bad review.
Unfortunately, this spells bad news for you if you’ve received a couple of them. Around 67 to 90% of shoppers read reviews before buying.
But all hope isn’t lost. This is where online reputation management (or ORM) comes into play.
We’ll go over its importance and why you should pay more attention to it.
Take a look!
Builds Trust
You’ll never get someone to buy from you if you can’t be trusted. Simple tactics like ensuring customers’ information is safe is one thing.
But keeping track of the negative publicity is key. The Internet is where anyone can voice opinions, so it doesn’t matter if they caught your employee on a bad day. They’ll still go home and write a bad review.
And once they do, it’ll spread like wildfire.
To solve this, see if you can reply back. Sites like Yelp don’t allow the business to remove negative reviews but the owner can write a response.
Remember to stay polite and don’t add to the fire. Fighting with the customer will only make things worse for you.
Increases Sales
Online reputation management is more than just keeping track of negativity. Sometimes, businesses lose connection with their audience.
Trends evolve every day and while not everyone can keep up with everything, you need to know where your audience is leaning towards. That means investigating spending habits, budgets, and seeing which competitors they’re going to.
All this information will help you increase sales. It’ll keep you afloat and also teach you how to become adaptable.
Keeps Your Image Professional
Let’s say you’re in need of investors. Where do you think the first place they’ll go to find more information about your company?
Google. Or another search engine.
Now let’s decide on which candidate they would pick: one that has no negative publicity or the other that has tons of negative publicity?
If you chose the first option, you’re correct.
ORM, when done correctly, will keep your business’ image looking professional. You won’t look shady or be a risk to do business with.
Attracts Employees
Again, where do most people go online to get information? Search engines.
The same goes for future employees. They’ll scout your website, social media, and other information to see if they want to work for you.
If you have customers (and even other employees) saying negative things, you won’t get many applicants for your hiring ad.
When you stay ahead of ORM, you’ll be gaining applicants who have huge potential and can shape the course of your business for years to come.
Wrapping Up on the Importance of Online Reputation Management
Not everyone’s reputation will remain squeaky clean. But it’s how you clean up the mess is most important.
Remember to keep track of what others are saying and when negativity arises, tame it, don’t add to it.
Don’t have the time to do it yourself? Schedule a consultation with us today!
