Why You Should Care About Online Reputation Management
Have you heard what people are saying about your brand or business?
What people are saying about your brand is important. That’s why online reputation management is important—you want to get in front of the mudslinging before it turns into an all-out brawl.
What is online reputation management exactly? It’s what your business needs to do to minimize negative content about your business or brand online. You need to monitor the Internet for posts, updates or content that mentions you negatively and then take the action to quash those negative effects. But it can also be used to foster happy, positive feelings, too. Listen to what your customers are saying with the online reputation management tips we’ve outlined.
How to Benefit from Online Reputation Management
Also called brand monitoring, online reputation monitoring not only keeps you on the lookout for negative comments—you can look for positive opportunities, too. Let’s just say that on one of the forums you visit, someone has posted looking for a product you offer. You should totally jump in there to help them out. This is an awesome opportunity to engage them directly and show them how you can solve their problem.
If you find that someone has a problem with your product or service, online reputation management gives you the opportunity to fix it. You can apologize for the problem, offer solutions or let people know that you take criticism and feedback seriously. Do everything in your power to make an unhappy customer happy, and you’ll make a fan for life.
How to Keep the Positive Vibe Going
Managing your reputation management is an ongoing task. Here are a few things you can do to manage the love:
• Keep responding to comments on your blog and social media pages, negative or positive. If you’re responding to a negative comment, don’t be rude—clear up the problem as soon as you can.
• Check out reviews on local listing sites and thank people who took the time to review your business/brand.
• Publish blog posts and provide information that’s related to your field on a regular basis.
• Go to other blogs and industry hotspots and leave comments.
• Get your name out there by publishing press releases and make yourself available for media interviews.
• Be a guest blogger on other industry sites.
• Take it offline by speaking at industry events and networking at events.
DIY Online Reputation Management
If you’re a small business or brand, you can probably do online reputation management on your own. Here are some tools that can help you out:
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These are just a few of the tools that can make tracking your online reputation management that much easier. If you come across some bad press, don’t stress—a few negative reviews are normal. Besides, people would get suspicious if there’s too nice things to say about you. Comments with a variety of feedback can be good because it allows customers an opportunity to discern and also see that the reviews are real, honest, and truthful.
Have you made online reputation management part of your routine? What have you been doing for your online management routine? How do you respond to comments? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram.