How to Perform Reputation Management for a Local Business
There are plenty of articles online that explain how to manage reviews on sites like Google and Yelp; however, online reputation management involves far more than this. Criticism can travel at the speed of light online, and it’s not only limited to review websites. Criticism can be published on social media, on blog posts, and pretty much anywhere where people have a voice. If you’re interested in working for a reputation management company like ReputationDefender, keep reading for an idea of the steps involved when managing the reputation of a local business.
1. Get Blogging
Many businesses fail to see the importance of having an online blog, but the truth is, it can be a great weapon in against negative posts online. If you can create interesting, informative content that is shared and linked to en masse, these posts will appear higher than any negative content posted about the business online. Reputation wise, a company blog can not only be a great place to assert authority; it can also be the ideal platform to negate any feedback or criticisms when necessary.
2. Listen and Apologise
A large part of keeping on top of an online reputation is to regularly monitor all mentions of the company online. This not only includes social media sites but also review platforms and personal blogs. Any time a company receives any negative feedback, read it thoroughly and see if there are any weaknesses in your processes that could be improved upon. If there are, apologise and try to make things right with the customer. Make sure any apologies you make are authentic and the business should see its sales and reviews are unaffected.
3. Avoid Getting into Arguments
Following on from the tip above, it’s important to avoid getting into arguments with anyone who criticizes the business. If the feedback is offensive, you can ignore it and report it for removal. Even if the feedback is technically incorrect, arguing with the person who left the feedback will only paint the business in a negative light and you could end up saying things that will damage your reputation further. If you feel yourself getting drawn into an emotional conflict, walk away from your computer until you can respond in a calm and professional manner.
4. Don’t Neglect Social Media
Social media provides a great way for consumers to contact businesses directly, and they’re not something that should be neglected. Anyone who follows a business on social media is interested in their products or services and building a good rapport with them can be beneficial when people post negative things. Not only will some followers often step in to defend the business, but you can also continue to post positive things on the business’ accounts that will hopefully overshadow the bad. This will be much easier to do if the business has a large following that already shares their posts.
Working in reputation management can be an interesting career; the above are just some of the steps you’ll have to undertake when helping a local business.
