Today it is more and more common for business owners to hear that they must protect the online reputation of their business. Fortunately, although the job is big, there are many concrete steps any business owner can take to improve their online reputation. Very important is getting reviewed. This can take helped by encouraging the public at large to review you, paying a reputation manager to oversee the process and more immediately, requesting your customers to review you. What follows looks at each of these steps in more detail.
Get listed on review websites.
Many people take online reviews very seriously. This can be a huge advantage for any business that provides a quality product or services. With this in mind businesses should make sure they register for an appropriate review site for their industry. For example, a hotel or travel tour company should be listed on TripAdvisor. A contractor should be listed on Angie’s List. Good reviews on review sites can mitigate the damage of one angry (and often unreasonable) customer ranting online. A good online reputation can help attract new business. People are much less leery of a business that already has satisfied customers.
Pay somebody to manage your online reputation.
Today there are many companies that offer to boost online reputation by aggressively posting fake reviews on a business’s site and a review companies site. Using these services can be effective if the company hired writes quality reviews that seem authentic. Using fake reviews is a dangerous game for any business to play because many review sites blacklist business that post inauthentic reviews.
Some sites hire outside consultants to quickly respond to customer complaints on review sites. A quick response to an upset customer makes the business seem very professional. Everybody knows that a certain percent of customers will be disgruntled with service of the company. Other people want to know how the company will respond to these situations. Many business owners are too busy to constantly monitor all the outlets for customer complaints. Hiring an outside consultant can let a business rest easy knowing somebody is there to quickly deal with any issues and notify the owner.
Encourage People to Review Your Site
This can be done in a variety of ways. First, remind people you are listed on these sites. Companies with printed material/advertisement should mention they are listed on certain review sites. If a company has a certificate of excellence from an online review site that certificate should be displayed to remind people that they can also review the business. Encourage customers to review you.
Using posters is a great way to encourage review and ensures that clients are having a good experience. “If you have enjoyed your time here please review us on TripAdvisor, if not please let us know what we can do to make your experience better.”
The overall purpose of being reviewed is not just to show off an “A+++” rating. It is also to let your customers, current and future” know that you care deeply about them and are actively seeking to ensure their satisfaction.
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