5 Simple Ways To Build & Manage Your Businesss Online Reputation

Your brand isn't what you say it is, its what Google says it is.- Chris Anderson The truthfulness of above statement gets strength if you look at the report by BrightLocal. This report revealed that today's consumer reads more than seven reviews before trusting any business. In fact, 74% of the consumers, surveyed in the report, said that they trust a business more if it has a positive review; making all of us believe that reviews are indeed important for building and managing online reputation. Not only reviews, there are many other ways in which a business's online reputation can be build. Apart from having positive reviews, strategy to minimize the impact of negative reviews, sharing insights, having a user friendly review submission form, keeping eagle-watch on competitor's online reputation management strategies, there are a lot of tasks and things one needs to do to build and manage online reputation. So here is a quick view of 5 simple ways to build & manage your business's online reputation. Let's have a read.

Collaborate With Reputed Influencers

Whether done through word of mouth or through online platforms, today's audience makes its buying decisions based according to their role models, idols, or influencers. By collaborating with reputed influencers and getting them to spread a word or two of positive reviews about your business can be a great step-up in online reputation management. With influencer marketing gaining pace, businesses can rely on the niche influencers to not just gain credibility and reputation but also to expand their reach and do cross-platform promotions. And when a person, who is being followed by thousands, talks about your product publicly, your online reputation automatically improves.

Blog Regularly To Gain Thought Leadership

Businesses that blog regularly have a better chance of becoming a thought leader among their customers compared to those that just offer services or products through their online presence. Blogging regularly allows you to demonstrate your thought leadership and expertise in the field. The list of loyal followers on various online platforms increases when you are able to engage more people with informative content and provide them with the necessary answers to their queries. Blogging is certain to boost your reputation in your niche if you are able to create content that is useful, informative, and full of well-researched data.

Track The Competitor's Reputation Management Strategies

Another great way to build and manage online reputation is by tracking what the competitor is doing. Analyze their strategies to build a reputation online and incorporate their moves but with an improvisation to build your reputation. Know why the customers are following them over your business and on what parameters are they comparing your business with theirs. This can help you find new ways to cater the needs of the customers and more importantly, it can help you avoid mistakes. With the right set of tools, it is easy to track and analyze the competitor's strategies on the internet and know how they are managing their online reputation.

Diligently Deal With Negative Reviews To Minimize The Damage

Consumer Reviews can make or break your online reputation. While internet is boosting transparency and positive reviews promote your services/product without a direct promotional activity, a negative review can ruin it badly. Being practical, there will always be something that may annoy your consumer (despite best of your efforts) and they can be really aggressive and loud in sharing their opinion on your website, your social media pages or various review platforms and forums. And like all other crucial marketing strategies, a well thought strategy to handle negative feedbacks and review is imperative.

Even the top online reputation management service providers believe that it is important for businesses to engage wholly with the critics and complainants on different review forums, apologize for any bad experience, and promise to solve their problems. The world of internet does not let anything get away with fake and false promises but can certainly let those broken promises and negative reviews hamper your business's reputation. Be active on review forums and promise solutions for any negative review. Moreover, post a feedback once you have fulfilled the promise so that the audience reading reviews can know your efficiency in solving customers problems.

Keep The Review Submission Short, Crisp And Simple

The importance of online reviews is growing drastically with each passing day. It has reached to such an extent that today they are largely influencing the decision-making process of the customers. These reviews not just show your business's loyal clientele but also boost the online reputation. However, even after liking your services, a majority of customers wouldn't write a positive review of your business. To encourage reviews, it is important to make the review or feedback process quick and seamless. Generating positive customer review is essential for your business. In fact, a study by BrightLocal revealed that 68% of the consumers would readily leave a review if encouraged and asked to do so. Let the customer just rate the business in terms of Good or Bad or give away a small message. Do not force them to go through lengthy processes to write a single review.

Online reputation is no less than a human relation. Although reaping this online relationship with your audience is tricky, the key principal of online reputation management is the same. Take care of the audience feedback, be conscious of what they think about you, maintain a reputed company, and offer your insights to show your intellect. This would not only help you build a strong online reputation but also maintain it.