Reputation Management: What Others Are Saying About YOUR Business

As advertisers we work vigorously to make sure the message we distribute to the public is appealing to our target and engages consumers to the product. No matter how eloquent our messages are, a simple bad review of “This sucks” can turn potential consumers away in a heartbeat.  With the number of reviews made on a daily basis in large markets like DFW, small businesses and companies in Dallas need to be aware of their online reputation.  Here are a few reasons why you shoudl monitor your online reputation.

Is your company monitoring online reviews, tweets or Facebook posts? If not, you surely should start now.

Before I try out any new restaurant or new service, I research reviews on social media and sites such as Yelp. I’ll admit, I’ve even written a bad review and shared the experience with my social media network. I received quick responses to my post and others have even told me they shared the same experience with the business I had reviewed.

On the other hand, if a customer or client experiences great service with your business and shares it you’ve just received free advertising in the form of tweets, Facebook posts and pictures.

According to a study conducted by Nuance Communications, out of the 300 participants“74% choose companies/brands based on others’ customer-care experiences shared online”. Having a positive reputation online is very important here in our day and time. Here are a few ways to maintain your company’s reputation online:

• Ensure that you have someone monitoring reviews on search engines like Yahoo, Google, Bing as well as social networking sites.
• Interact with those who give reviews about your business.
• If you get a bad review, have someone reach out to that person and see what you can do to fix the situation.
• Direct your happy customers to your social media sites to post or blog on the great experience they have.

If you don’t have someone in-house who can do this, there are companies who provide these reputation management services.

Remember, a bad review by one person can create hinder the reputation of your company in the mind of thousands. Make sure when your name is researched, people are seeing positive reviews. Also ensure that your business is interacting with consumers online and reaching out to dissatisfied consumers.