What Are Your Customers Seeing About Your Business Online?
Reputation is the forefront of every business’s marketing. What customers see about your business online is very crucial to the survival of your business. According to statistics 97% of consumers aged 18 - 34 read online reviews to judge a local business and 92% of consumers now read online reviews for local business. It is therefore important than ever for your businesses especially if you are a small/ local business to take your online reputation seriously.
What Is Online Reputation?
Online reputation is the managing, building and marketing of a company's reputation online. This can be done through many different means and channels, such as social media, blog posts, customer reviews, and company websites. There are a few key things to keep in mind when managing your company's online reputation.
First, it's important to be proactive. This means monitoring what is being said about your company online and responding to negative reviews or comments. It's also important to be transparent. This means being honest with your customers and stakeholders about your company's strengths and weaknesses. Finally, it's important to have a plan in place for how to deal with negative reviews or comments. This plan should include how you will respond to the negative review or comment, how you will prevent future negative reviews or comments, and how you will improve your online reputation going forward.
Why is Online Reputation Important?
Online reputation is important for all companies, but it is especially important for small businesses. Small businesses often have less of a reputation to start with, so it's important to be extra careful about what is being said about them online. Additionally, small businesses are more likely to be negatively affected by a negative review or comment than a large company. This is because a negative review or comment can have a disproportionate effect on a small business's reputation.
Improving your company's online reputation takes time and effort, but it is worth it. A strong online reputation can help you attract new customers, retain existing customers, and improve your overall brand. The collective opinion of customers, stakeholders and the general public of an organisation is formed based on their experiences and observations which is monitored and rated on the internet, most notably through social media and review sites.
You should therefore be aware of the potential risks to the online reputation of your business and put in place strategies to mitigate these. These risks can include:
- Negative reviews or comments from customers
- Poor customer service
- Cyber-attacks and hacking
- Inaccurate or out-of-date information on websites and social media platform.
- Lack of engagement with customers and stakeholders
There are a number of ways in which you can proactively manage your online reputation. These include regularly monitoring what is being said about your business online, responding quickly and effectively to negative comments, and ensuring that your business website and social media platforms are up-to-date and engaging.
Managing your company's online reputation takes time and effort, but it is worth it. A strong online reputation can help you attract new customers, retain existing customers, and improve your overall brand.