Why is your online presence important?
No matter what industry you're in, the importance of having a good digital reputation cannot be understated.
"The digital age has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, making our online presence, our online reputation, and our digital footprint crucial to our success," states David Branitz, founder and CEO of BSB Exposed.
For businesses, consumers are starting to care more about their online presence than ever before.
Over a third of consumers (35%) said they only purchase if they trust a brand. Almost half (46%) of consumers will leave a bad review about a brand, and 35% will never do business with a company again because of bad reviews.
Experts and consumers are increasingly concerned about the effects online platforms are having on our lives.
"In this digital age, we're no longer responsible for the actions of others. We can now build a digital identity that encompasses everything from our public behavior to our offline behavior. By creating a digital footprint for ourselves online, we are ultimately shaping our reputation," explains Andrew Piper, Founder, and CEO of BrandYourself.
Be realistic about what is already out there. Businesses need to realize that consumers are now more connected than ever before. The more they pay attention to their online reputation, the more likely they are to read and respond to negative reviews.
"Look at the bigger picture: is your brand on other sites? What is other content being published on your site?
Think about how much of your reputation and identity are out in the wild. To grow your brand and make a statement about your brand, you can't just wait for someone to do something to impact your reputation negatively.
All the small stuff matters," states Alexa von Tobel, Founder and CEO of LearnVest.
When considering the content you're creating, don't get too caught up in your creative ideas. It's okay to think big, but don't forget to be practical and look at what your competitors are doing.
Consumers want to see that your company is active, doing good things, and being transparent with their audience.
The more you're active online, the more chances you have to be a positive change. Take the time to provide updates about your company and the products and services you're offering.
Brands that are online for over three months have over five times the positive feedback rate of online businesses for just over three months. This means there are more people interested in interacting with your company.
Be active, be responsive, and be willing to show your consumers that you're willing to change and listen.
Companies that don't care about their digital reputation and/or are unwilling to pay attention to negative reviews lose valuable customers. For example, we have seen many brands defending themselves against negative reviews rather than apologizing or improving.
Take the time to read all of the feedback you're getting and respond to it as best you can.
It's important to remember that your company's online reputation is more important than ever before. Consumers will now be more active online, making it important for your company to be active.
When it comes to social media, it's important to avoid posting too frequently, especially when people are saying negative things. At the same time, businesses need to stay open and listen to customers.
One recent study suggests that keeping customers in the loop increases customer loyalty by 40%.
Consumers expect businesses to respond quickly to any request, and this will help consumers stick with the brand, which is why it's important to monitor customer feedback. With online reviews, the best way to catch up is to respond right away.
Overlooking the negative could also cost your company customers. Consumers will naturally go to competitors if they feel like you are not responding to their needs and concerns.
If you constantly respond to negative reviews, consumers will begin to question why you don't respond to their positive comments.
You'll need to be honest and open with customers when it comes to ratings and reviews. Just because there are no reviews doesn't mean that the company is good. You need to be honest about what you're doing right and what you need to improve on.
When someone thinks of online reputation repair, "fixing your bad online review" is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. However, positive feedback from positive online reviews can make or break a business's online reputation.
According to Forrester, the online reputation of the top 50 companies accounts for 75% of their total annual sales.
With the rise in online reviews, companies should be taking steps to build an excellent online reputation. This involves fixing their mistakes as soon as possible.
Take a deep breath and do what you can to fix the mistake. Don't overreact or make excuses, but fix the mistake.
Listen to what customers are saying, find out what went wrong, and fix it. Listen to them, but also be honest with your customers.
More recently, major banks have acknowledged negative reviews about their customer service. Instead of ignoring the complaints, these banks have opened up lines of communication with customers who are unhappy with the service.
Over time, this has led to major changes in the industry as well as improved reviews.
It's important to pay attention to what customers are saying online. It's also important for businesses to learn from these mistakes. Always learn from these mistakes and focus on improving your business's digital reputation.
