9 Reputation Management Techniques To Grow Your Local Business' Brand
Are you looking for a few reputation management techniques to help your brand grow? With the right online presence, your business can go from a listing on Google to the top result! From small local businesses to large corporations, you should be using these reputation management techniques for your business. Here’s an overview of the top techniques to manage your reputation the right way.
Reputation Management Techniques
- Get reviews by delivering good work
- Focus on customer service
- Write back to negative reviews
- Set a Google Alert for your business
- Learn from negative interactions
- Have fun with your brand voice
- Change public perception with charity
- Involve your customer in your business decisions
- Practice transparency
#1 – Get Reviews by Delivering Good Work
One of the best ways to boost your online reputation is to get reviews by delivering good work. Providing reviews has become an everyday occurrence in our lives, so why not ask your customers for them? The best way to do this is to deliver good work and to make it easy for customers to give you a review. Reputation management software can help make the whole process easier for everyone so make sure you invest in the right things for your business. Reviews can boost your popularity, help future customers make decisions and increase SEO rankings.
# 2 – Focus on Customer Service
Just like you care about delivering good work to your clients, never overlook the value of customer service in your business. In a digital world, one interaction can destroy a reputation (there are a complete recent number of celebrity downfalls that show exactly how this can ruin a brand name).
#3 – Respond to Negative Reviews
Too many business owners avoid negative reviews when they see them online. This is the worst technique because your customers might see your silence as agreement and future customers might assume you don’t care. If you see a negative review, be sure to respond and keep your cool when dealing with customers. Responses can actually serve as a catalyst for better SEO, better customer relationships and set you apart from the competition.
#4 – Set a Google Alert for Your Business Name
Instead of searching the internet for each mention of your brand, set a Google Alert for your business name. This gets you notifications based on mentions of your business name, helping keeping track of your media coverage efforts. If there is a negative remark made, you won’t miss it with a Google alert.
#5 – Learn from Negative Interactions
Even if the negative review or the bad service was not your fault, take a step back with every interaction and learn from the negatives. Pay attention to everything your customers say. Small changes like a product description update, more training for your staff, better rules laid out in your email signups, and minor corrections all make a difference in your brand.
#6 – Have Fun with Your Brand Voice
Think about the companies you follow on social media. What makes you enjoy the company? Why do you love it? The most notable brands in the industry all speak with a voice that generates a feeling. Even for serious topics, speak directly to your audience and let them know about the people behind the brand!
#7 – Change Public Perception with Charity
If you are fighting an uphill battle against a negative reputation, you’ll need to give your brand a face via charitable giving. A company that did this successfully was Microsoft. In the 90s, they were thought of as a huge corporation but now they are a huge corporation known for giving back. A small act can make a difference in the way your potential and current customers see your brand.
#8 – Involve Your Customer in Your Business Decisions
An interesting way to generate customer loyalty and manage your reputation is through engagement. Involve the customer in your business decisions through customer surveys, informal questions, and even just asking their ideas. This form of business relations generates goodwill.
#9 – Practice Transparency
The news travels quickly now and you simply cannot hide a public relations issue. Rather than shying away from them, face any PR problems head-on and honestly. There are several companies in recent history that have endured data breaches, without any major consequences, because of their transparency in the breach. It is better to be upfront than to cover it up.
The right reputation management techniques can bring your business from the bottom of Google to the top of the search results. The right techniques can also guide customer experience improvements, new business ideas and more loyal customers.
