Too many businesses continue to ignore the importance of their online reputation. Most online reputation management services will tell you that most companies come to them once they discover their reputation is destroyed. They should, actually, come to them much sooner so that all of this mess could have been prevented.
We live in a world where people are bombarded with information and choices. As such, we have been conditioned to use the internet to our greatest advantage, which means looking up something online before spending money on it. A single negative report means people go elsewhere, simply because they have so many options to choose from. It is vital, therefore, that you build a positive reputation, and learn how to maintain it. Let’s take a look at the five most important factors to actually achieve that.
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Keep it Local
It is a known fact that around 80% of online searches are from people within a locality trying to find things close to them. Hence, you have to make sure that there are no negative reviews about you on any local services, which includes Facebook and Google. If there is anything negative to be seen, make sure you address it straight away.
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Focus on Customer Service
It seems that now that there are very few physical customer service desks left in the world, businesses have also stopped making it a priority. This is a huge mistake to make. The customer continues to be king and to be always right, and they expect to be treated as such. You must, at all times, ensure that your customers have a pleasant experience with you. In fact, customers are more likely to forgive you a mistake, so long as you have always been forthright, open, and honest with them.
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Understand Customer Leverage
Before the internet, the idea was that one unhappy customer would tell seven other people. A happy customer would perhaps tell one. Today, this has all changed. A happy customer still only tells one other person. But an unhappy person will tell the internet, and that means they could effectively reach billions in just a few seconds. News travels very fast nowadays, and you have to be ready for that.
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It’s all About Search Engines
When people try to find out about something in today’s world, they simply go to Google and write what they want to know. That means if they want to find out things about you, they will Google you. Hence, have Google alerts set up so that you know exactly what people will come across when they do look you up.
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Be Modern and Online
Last but not least, it is no longer enough to simply have a website. The site has to be interactive, interesting, and filled with information that people want to find. Your site needs to be SEO optimized, mobile optimized, and fun.
Getting all of this done really should be left to the professionals.