7 Reasons Your Business Needs Online Reputation Management By James Tredwell on August 20, 2020 The Internet has enabled people to do a lot of things with ease. Some examples are: Retrieving and sharing information Connecting with friends and loved ones Buying and paying items Sharing opinion with other This also explains why online reputation is becoming key to success for many businesses. After all, customers tend to leave reviews on various websites. And a simple Yelp review can make or break your business. This is where online reputation management comes in. It is the process of establishing how people perceive your brand online. You can do this by responding to online reviews and publishing PR content. Hence, the urgent need for hiring companies that provide online reputation management services. They have online reputation management experts that can help fix the way customers perceive your brand. Keep in mind that a solid online reputation has several direct and indirect benefits for a business. This includes trust, more profit, and reduced risk. Still not convinced how online reputation management can benefit your business? Read on: Makes Good First Impression The “Broken Window” theory posits that a warehouse with a broken window attracts more vandals. In this case, having negative online reviews is more likely to attract problematic customers to your business. Hence, the best way to fix this is through online reputation management. For one, it allows you to improve your tarnished online reputation. Second, it helps you make an excellent first impression. That’s because positive reviews compel a potential customer to buy from you. But how can you salvage your business’ damaged online reputation? Here’s how: Identify the Root Cause. You cannot fix what is not broken. Hence, the first step in reputation management is to identify the root cause. What broke your online reputation in the first place? Repair at the Source. Just because the Internet is written in ink does not mean you cannot rectify it. Did a negative press release wrongfully damage your business’ reputation? Reach out to the author and ask to either remove or update the press release. Disavow Negative Search Results. Luckily, you do not have to bear associating your brand with negative PR content. You can use Google’s disavow tool so you can bury these negative results. What happens is that when someone searches for your brand, the negative PR will be excluded from the results. Create Positive Content. Can’t bury those negative PR? You can push them down by creating your content. Write and publish relevant content about your business that people are more likely to share with their friends and family. That way, the negative PR becomes irrelevant, and search engines are less likely to include it to their results. Cultivates Trust Trust is the symbol of the success of your business. In case you are unaware, 33% of American consumers prefer to buy from brands that they trust. That’s because they cannot afford to waste any money on bad purchases. Thus, building trust is one of the most significant benefits of online reputation management. How can you build trust through online reputation management? First, you need to check what people say about your business online. You can use social monitoring tools so you can track online customer reviews. Second, take the time to respond to these customer reviews. Doing so showcases that you value transparency and their opinion. It will also help if you have put a review management strategy in place. This will enable you to track and respond to online reviews and generate reviews from various websites. Improves Products and Services The best thing about listening to your customers is that you gain insight into how you can improve your products and services. This explains why you should not ignore a negative review. Instead, consider this and use it to your advantage. For example, you run an online food delivery business. And you notice that people always point out your portion size. You might want to check whether there is something off about how you portion your food. And then tweak it where needed. The best thing about doing this is that you are making your customers involved with your business decisions. Thus, they feel more valued. And the more valued they feel, the more loyal they become. Attracts Talented Employees Here’s the thing: Your customers are not the only ones who can leave reviews about your business. Your employees can do the same. Thus, another advantage of online reputation management is that you can attract talented employees. Employees want to work for a company that shares the same core values and beliefs as themselves. Plus, online reviews can convey the work culture in your company. And a positive work culture can attract talented employees ‒ people who can make your business successful. That said, it is also essential to check your profile on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, and more. These platforms may not allow you to respond to employee reviews. Yet, you can use it to your advantage. For one, you can use those reviews to improve your business. Who knows? What you read on Glassdoor are legit sentiments. Improves Search Engine Ranking In case you do not know, customer reviews are a great example of user-generated content. Sure, they do not directly affect your search engine ranking, but it can affect how Internet users perceive your brand. That’s because online reviews can also appear on search results. If you run a restaurant, there is a big chance that you have a Google My Business profile. This enables customers to leave a review and give you a star rating. When other Internet users see poor star ratings, they are less likely to trust you. Mind you; your star rating can have a direct impact on your business’ revenue. According to a Womply study, businesses with a 3.5 to 4.5-star rating can increase their annual revenue. The more people ignore your online presence, the more search engine bots will deem that your profile is irrelevant. Thus, your search engine ranking can plummet. The key here, though, is to do something good. Provide excellent services and produce top-quality products. That way, it is easier to convince your customers to leave a positive review. Boosts Your Profit As mentioned earlier, a star rating can have an impact on your business revenue. According to a Womply study, a 4.0 to 4.5-star rating can boost your annual income by up to 28%. This is because brands with excellent online reviews attract customers. For one, people are 31% more likely to buy from businesses with positive reviews. On the other hand, a single negative review can turn off about 22% of customers. This means that two out of ten potential customers would opt to buy from your competitors instead. This explains why you need to perform well as a business. Doing so can help you generate more positive customer reviews. And this one of the best ways to salvage lost customers. Resolves Conflict Conflict management is another significant benefit of online reputation management. That’s because it helps businesses to address negative customer reviews adequately. Addressing negative customer reviews can be as simple as responding to them. And by “responding,” we mean reassuring your past customers that you are doing your best to improve your products and services. Moreover, 34% of customers are more likely to remove a negative review after hearing from a brand. Yet, some conflicts go beyond negative customer reviews. In times like these, you might need to hire a company that provides online reputation management services. That’s because they can help you handle large-scale issues. This includes running a PR campaign or seeking the help of a lawyer. Nonetheless, keep in mind that not all negative reviews are worth responding to. Reacting to trolls and haters will only escalate the issue the wrong way. The Takeaway To recap, here are the benefits of online reputation management: Makes an excellent first impression Cultivates trust Improves products and services Attracts talented employees Improves search engine ranking Boosts your profit Resolves conflict Think of it this way: Your online reputation can affect how customers perceive your business. When they like what they see at a glance, they will be confident to do business with you. They would even opt to buy premium products from you! And this can mean a boost in your sales and revenue. But keep in mind that a positive online reputation can go beyond that. Businesses with an excellent online reputation receive better treatment and even given a second chance. Luckily, you can always save your business’ online reputation. And you do not have to do it alone since there are companies that offer online reputation management services. Whatever the size and nature of your business, you need an online reputation management strategy in place. Doing so will not only ensure that you are making a good impression. It also lets you bring in more customers and improve your business’ revenue. Now that you know how online reputation management can help your business, we hope that you will do your best to keep your online reputation in shape.
