Online Reputation Management: Why You NEED This Strategy

MarketingDigital Marketing
Written By

By Jenna Gnieski

Business owners, this one strategy can separate you from your competitors and can result in more business if executed correctly. 

Reviews for goods and services are on many frequently used consumer platforms. When was the last time you opened up a social media app and saw someone reviewing something, whether it be the newest Trader Joe’s snacks or the trendiest workout leggings? Whether you like it or not, people are going to express their opinions about your company. While you cannot control this, you can control your response to them.

Reviews can either negatively or positively impact your business. Part of this strategy is also about finding the folks who are very happy with your business and giving them a forum to express it.That is why online reputation management is of utmost importance. 

Why is online reputation management important?

According to HubSpot, consumers need to read an average of 10 online reviews before they feel they can trust a local business. 

So, what is online reputation management? 

Online reputation management involves monitoring and influencing your business’s online reputation. This can involve more informal platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, and formal review sites like Google and Facebook. 

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How do I implement this strategy?

There are several ways a business owner can manage their reputation and increase positive reviews.

The first is to create a Google My Business page.

  • Set up a Business page for your business on Google. It’s free and easy! With this, you can respond to reviews, update hours and services, post photos, and communicate with consumers. 

  • Visit this link to get started on your Business profile.

  • Once you have your page set up, you can start asking for and responding to reviews. It might be beneficial to print out a flyer or post to your social media asking people to review your business on Google. 

  • This next step is crucial. Make sure you respond to every review, even negative ones. All feedback is good feedback, even criticism because it’s a chance to improve upon that area in the future. 

According to BrightLocal’s Consumer Review Survey from 2018, 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews. For positive reviews, a simple, “Thank you for the kind review!” is just fine. Negative reviews, however, can be a little tricky to navigate. If you’re unsure of how to respond, reviewtrackers offers great resources to help with this task.

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Similar to Google My Business is Facebook. 

  • With a Facebook business page, you can do just about everything that you can do on Google. One of the advantages of this platform is being able to invite people to “like” and follow your business page on Facebook. Doing so will build and instill trust in potential customers knowing that you provide great service. 

  • When people “like” or recommend your page, that instills trust in potential customers that you provide great service. 

There are several other tools and resources that will send automated emails and messages to your customers asking for reviews. If you’re working with a budget or are a smaller business, it might be a good idea to bypass this option.

♢

Customers are your biggest asset, and making sure their experience is valued (and shared for others to see) is something that needs to be communicated.

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