As you start reading the beginning of this article, you’ll find yourself discovering a whole new menace to you and your companies reputation. At the same time, a potential ‘profit killer to all your existing marketing efforts so far. Accordingly, in this article, you’ll discover five hidden factors in regards to your business’s local online reputation.’ These factors could dramatically lower your profits without you knowing why or how this is happening. Additionally, you’ll discover ‘why’ Online Reputation Management is the critical first step, above all your other marketing efforts, both online and off. And essential to every local business owner in the new Information Age that we are now doing business in.
In today’s crowded marketplace, the overwhelmed consumer public will make snap choices according to what they see your companies reputation is online. An example is online reviews written about your companies services from unhappy customers or clients. No matter if your online reputation or local brand is trustworthy or not, it matters very little to the busy consumer. Who is looking for local product and/or service recommendations on the Web? This is precisely why you can’t risk low doses of this critical online factor. That is an impeccable reputation among online users. In addition, you want megadoses of positive reputation in the form of online reviews, social media posts, feedback, testimonials, and more.
Below are the five factors to consider when managing your online reputation in your local marketplace. Also, you might notice these five factors below seem the same or at least very similar. The fact is, they are identical in nature because they all seamlessly integrate into one important broad concept: Your Almighty Reputation, Future Profit Potential, and Overall Survival. Moreover, within each factor below, you’ll discover they are similar but separate aspects of the whole picture. All these aspects must be considered when guarding your number one asset. This is your entire reputation and profits overall. Still, they do integrate into a powerful unit or matrix. That together will provide you with the Mindset and Actions required to deploy this critical marketing strategy quickly and easily. These aspects will guide you to the tools that give you iron-grip control of this essential marketing strategy. That is Reputation Management, in your business, forever. Here they are:
1-Online research has uncovered
that approximately 80 percent of all searches online are local consumers looking for local products and services. Because of this, it’s critical that you go on the defense to ensure your reputation is not marked with negativity on the Internet. This negativity usually comes in the form of bad reviews on Google’s search results. As well as harmful feedback across many other search engines, negative testimonials, negative Facebook posts, and so on. Although obvious, strive to maintain 100 percent customer satisfaction with all customers. And defuse all negative customer issues quickly. Also, assume everyone has the key to damage your reputation now, in the Information Age, online.
2-The next factor to consider is Customer Service.
Without being impeccable in this area, your local business could quickly become doomed. The reason is, as mentioned earlier, because today, each individual consumer, has the ability to ‘blast’ any opinion on the World Wide Web instantly. For example, this factor makes it critical to be ‘positively irrational’ when solving negative customer issues. As a result, you defuse customer issues within your company first before they reach the general mass public online. In other words, before they have a chance to get onto the internet, by having the customer ‘vent’ their dissatisfaction to everyone. To be specific, ‘positive irrationality’ means going overboard to satisfy your angry customers and even losing a bit of profit. However, consider this loss in profit a well-spent marketing cost. This added expense will return many more dollars in the word-of-mouth praise from a repaired relationship. Chances are, your newly satisfied customer will be sure to praise you for your willingness to “Do Right” in the presence of all his friends. Therefore, even if you know you didn’t do wrong to your angry customer, it is in your best interest to assume your customer is “always right.” That’s where you may have to act positively irrationally to best satisfy your customer’s issue. Because sometimes, you will need to work against your mind and what you know is true in regards to your customer’s complaint.
3-The next factor is that today consumers have unlimited amounts of ‘communication leverage.’
For instance, the old advice says, “if you have one unsatisfied customer, she will tell seven others in her personal realm.” However, today the ordinary person has much more leverage than ever before. The fact is, virtually anyone can go online right now, connect, and communicate with hundreds, even millions of people very quickly. With that said, the leverage of bad news can now travel exponentially to wider audiences, faster than ever before in history, by virtually any lone person. Most importantly, your negative reputation will remain semi-permanently on the web for all to see when searching for local goods and services. We’re now living in a time where bad news travels the fastest. And this trend will continue into the future toward the speed of light as computing technology advances into a lot of infinite possibilities, speed, and personal power.
4-The fourth factor is Search Engines.
The fact is, Google could show your lousy reputation at the top of their search results. Although you may have never heard of the term ‘Reputation Management,’ this internet factor will dramatically affect your local business in the new local internet economy. For instance, in the past Industrial Age economy, a minimum amount of other people would surely hear about bad news. However, today with the Internet, that news floats to the top of Google. The fact is, today, individuals of all ages are increasingly using Internet search engines to research businesses, people, services, and products before they decide to whom they will do business. The results, like it or not, your business will be impacted. The risk is high. Your business could easily take a negative hit with just one angry customer, one disgruntled employee, or one malicious competitor. As a result, your reputation could sustain a semi-permanent “red flag” to your precious reputation publicly.
5-The last factor is, all ages are now using the web.
In the Information Age, everyone is going online. From youngsters to the elderly, they all have one thing in common. This common denominator is that most of them are now going to the Internet to search for local products and services. The fact of the matter is, you must increase your reputation online. In other words, you must take an active role to control your reputation on the Internet now. To all local business owners who miss this critical concept will leave themselves wide open for trouble in the future. You must be different. You must work hard to create testimonials, positive feedback, positive buzz, and positive reviews on the Internet now. With that said, one way you can begin to easily make this is by creating incentive programs that cause happy customers to go to the Internet and leave testimonials about your business. Most importantly, with this technique, your customer service and products subconsciously build trust with your potential consumers and so on. This factor will most certainly cause your company to become the top trusted source in your market.
In Conclusion, the great news is, you can actually control your reputation for the well online. Here’s why you and your company can make an effort to flood the Internet with positive testimonials, reviews, and buzz about you, your company, your customer service, your products, and services. First, you may want to flood your website with satisfied customer testimonials. Most important, consider the fact that there exist many review sites in every local area that reviews products and services. Also, be sure to have your business a part of these review websites. Moreover, encourage satisfied customers to go and post positive reviews about your company online, in places such as Facebook, Google Places, and many more. Perhaps, you could use an incentive program that could provide discounts for customers who post positive reviews about you on the Internet. From here, you will want to build this area of your Marketing on a consistent schedule month after month. This will guarantee that your Positive Reputation online becomes “bullet-proof” from subtle attacks. At the same time, laying fertile cyber-space for positive growth of your Reputation forever, into the Information Age and beyond. Good Luck!
