You’ve already lost potential customers if your company is not concerned about your online reputation. Why? Before purchasing a product, 93% of customers check online reviews.
The popularity of social media and online review services, like Google Reviews and Yelp, has grown. Customers can now share their experiences with the entire world.
What people say about your brand can make or break your reputation. Therefore, reputation management is vital for every company, whether you have a digital presence or not.
You may want to take a moment to perform a quick search to see what people are saying about your business. Beware, though, as some of what you read may not have any validity. That’s why investing in online reputation management services is crucial.
Online reputation management allows businesses to manage reviews and provide quick responses. It places customers’ concerns at the forefront.
Are you ready to learn more about managing your online reputation? Keep reading for the five benefits of effective reputation management for your business.
1. Reputation Management Improves Your Brand’s Industry Credibility
Negative reviews and press can tarnish your brand, so you must use every means necessary to track what people say about you online. One tool is a Google My Business profile (GMB).
With a GMB, your Google reviews become a part of the profile. You have the opportunity to thank users who leave positive reviews and show concern for individuals who leave unsatisfactory reviews.
Utilizing online reputation management shows that you care about your customers and are responsive to their needs. Consumers prefer attentive business owners who look for solutions instead of making excuses.
Plus, with an online reputation management service, you’ll have someone available to answer questions and respond to concerns quickly.
When researching brand reputation management, consider these online review objectives:
- Monitoring
- Marketing
- Optimization
- Repair
- Social Media
Reviews are more than what customers say about your brand. It’s also content you can use to your benefit.
2. Consumers See You as a Reputable Company
Have you ever been on a business website and site visitors have left questions or comments in the comments or review feature, yet no one is responding with the answers?
Sometimes, people utilize chats, testimonials, and review sites to ask questions. When those questions go unanswered, your image gets tarnished. Reputation management software will help you develop faster responses.
Although you may have a FAQ page, not everyone will use it to research their question. So, responding to inquiries as soon as possible, or within 24 hours, is essential to your business reputation. Automated responses to frequently asked questions helps with this.
Sometimes, it’s not feasible to create proper responses to various questions. In these instances, the automated response acknowledges the visitor and lets them know someone will get back to them as soon as possible.
Making people feel welcomed and valued is a part of the sales funnel. Once site visitors have an initial positive experience, their trust levels grow.
3. Helps Build Brand Advocacy with Loyal Customers
Reputation management goes beyond online reviews. You build a loyal following when you take care of your customers and their concerns, and people become invested in the success of your business.
Imagine someone posting about a poor experience with your company on Facebook. The comment wasn’t on your business page, so you never saw it! Luckily, a regular customer saw the post and advised the person there had to be a big mistake because your business doesn’t operate that way.
This scenario is an example of brand advocacy you haven’t heard much about. Brand advocates are aware of your reputation as an industry leader and community partner. They are willing to step in and give a positive point of view on your business.
To increase brand loyalty, you must share positive reviews, special thanks, news articles, and other positive communications with customers. These opportunities reinforce the positive aspects of your business.
Business reputation management and software allow business owners to market to their repeat customers. Companies use reward programs, like discount cards, first-look opportunities, and free branded gear, to acknowledge brand advocacy.
4. Provides Key Insights on Online Reputation
Reputation management software also provides vital insights into your online reputation. You’ll see in real-time when consumers leave reviews on various platforms, including:
- Google Reviews
- Company Website
- Social Media Business Pages
- Service Review Sites
- Community Directories
- Better Business Bureau
These metrics will help you understand what sites people use to post reviews, and you’ll learn how others interact with those reviews. It’s also an opportunity to expand your online presence if reviews appear on your business website.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is another benefit of the data you’ll receive. Zeroing in on terms and phrases people use when discussing your business can help you build keywords for marketing purposes.
5. Allows You to Address Internal Issues
Online reviews that can harm your reputation aren’t always about your project. Most often, they are about customer service. This is where business reputation management is an excellent way to see how your customers view your employees, processes, and overall operations.
You can get this information by utilizing email marketing to send out surveys. You can also offer incentives to consumers by asking them to visit a website to rate their experience.
As an owner or manager, you don’t always interact with customers, so having a way to get customer feedback benefits the business by allowing you to see your operations from the consumer’s point of view. The information gathered is then used to train employees and improve internal processes.
Become the Business You Think You Have
Many companies are surprised to learn people don’t see their business through rose-colored glasses. Therefore, reputation management allows business owners to get a clear understanding of how people feel about their business.
Red Stone Studio provides multiple marketing services to help boost your brand and online presence. If brand reputation management is something you’ve considered, now is the time to act.
Our team is eager to help companies like yours. Get in touch with us today to start the journey toward boosting your reputation score.
