A good reputation is the bedrock of a successful business. You have a greater potential for growth if you have a good reputation. Protect your reputation with your life. These tips will help you do just that.
In terms of fielding negative comments, you should always stay proactive. Any negative feedback is sure to be lost in a sea of positive feedback, so make sure there is plenty of it. Also remember to keep your content fresh and positive in order to negate any possibility of negative feedback mattering.
Negative Comments
Be friendly and sociable online. Communicate as often as you can with your followers. Answer questions posted to you. If someone poses a question to which you do not know the response, advise the follower that you are attempting to find an answer.
In terms of fielding negative comments, you should always stay proactive. Ensure that lots of happy, positive commentary exists, and the few negative items will pale in comparison. The more positive content there is, the less of an impact negative comments will have.
Keep up on your social network activities. People post on social networks in order to get a reply. It is a good idea to respond right away. If you can do so within two hours, that would be preferable. The more responsive you are, the better you’ll appear in comparison to the competition.
Make sure all customers are satisfied. If you can change their perception, they may be a customer for life. It’s even better when you get to do this on the Internet. That will show everyone that you provide great customer service.
Remain up-to-date when it comes to happenings in the business world. This helps ensure you can supply your customers with the latest innovations and information. Take five minutes out of your day to search for the newest facts about the industry you’re in.
Watch your presence online. You must always be aware of all the different types of feedback your business gets online, so you can quickly react to anything negative that might crop up from a customer who might be unhappy. Reviewing search engine outcomes often can prevent such things from hitting the top of the page. Try to do this bi-monthly.
If you list a sale as private, keep it that way. This is key, particularly if you use large discounts as a tool to resolve customer complaints. One thing to avoid is posting the things you’re doing to remedy a customer complaint and then receive more complaints because people want free things.
Be at places your customers frequent. If they go to a particular store or restaurant, go there a lot. You will learn more about them and what they expect from you and your business. People will generally feel comfortable in social settings and can open up.
Go to your customers. If they frequent specific restaurants or some other location, go there often. You can become acquainted with customers and give them the best service possible when you interact with them. They’ll be comfortable with you as a result.
If you search online for your company and find erroneous information, you can try to get the owner of the site to remove it. Most webmasters will happily remove such content if you are able to demonstrate that such content is actually libelous.
If you find false information on another site about your company, you may request that the information is removed. Just make sure you can prove your case, and any reputable site owner will gladly remove it.
Customers are an integral part of any business. With this comes complaints from time to time, and you must be sure you are addressing all customer complaints. In addition, you need to address everything professionally.
Remain informed as to what is happening on the online social networks. Many discuss their situations in these places. As you monitor these platforms regularly, you get to find negative comments quickly so you can do fast damage control and complaint resolution. That is one way to protect your business reputation from any further damage.
If your business made a mistake that is harmful to your customers, never attempt to conceal it. This will look very mysterious to your customers. Try taking responsibility for the error and humbly apologizing for it. Most customers will respond well to this type of honesty.
There are reputable companies that provide reputation management. On a daily basis you will be handling most of it yourself, but nowadays, there’s a lot of social media and Internet interactions that need to be monitored also. Having extra eyes can make a big difference.
It would be a good idea to check in with customers several times after they make a purchase. Issues can pop up later on down the road. If you check in with customers, you will have an opportunity to respond to any concerns they may have.
If you happen to see something online about your business that has a very negative slant, it’s all too easy to get upset about it, particularly if the information isn’t even true. The best course of action is to remain calm and professionally dispute the comments to the best of your ability. Other people will probably recognize the truth if you stay calm.
Be a sponsor at a community event. This is a great way to boost your company’s image. Your customers will think of you in a positive light when they realize you’re supporting a cause. If customers think positively about your business, it will grow.
There are websites out there to provide false reviews. Some of your competitors may be using them. Do not give in and join them. It’s bad business and many states have laws against that kind of illegal activity.
If you want to truly manage your business reputation on the Internet, then you should be mindful of every place where your business is being discussed. Stay on top of these sites so that you always know what is going on. Respond to criticism quickly, and include links to positive feedback on your website.
If you are in the business of selling services or products, you should always provide an unconditional money back guarantee. These benefits are all considered part of positive customer service. Though you may lose some money, think about the long term implications. It is well worth the loss to gain positive feedback from providing great customer service.
Many sites offer to post fake reviews that are positive and you might think you competitors use them. Don’t give in to the temptation to do the same. Many states have laws against this type of activity.
If your company promises something, be sure not to break it. If you’re constantly changing terms, people will quickly lose trust in you. Your business is sure to develop a dishonest reputation. After a business develops such a reputation, it can be a long uphill battle.
Without a positive reputation, it can be hard to stay in business for long. It will have a huge impact, now and in the future. This is what makes keeping that reputation strong so important. Keep these tips in mind to make your reputation the best it can be.
Check in on your business search results on a monthly basis. Google your company’s name monthly. Look especially for negative remarks on your website. Be aware of negative content at all times. Take any necessary action to mitigate them.
