Protect Your Reputation, Protect Your Business
Are Your Reviews Affecting Your Business? Whether you know it or not, they are.
Running a business can take a lot of work. As you know there are many long nights and missed family events due to the high level of personal involvement a business requires. Who else can you trust to give your business the best, other than you? So after you have given it your all and have put in the hard work, what happens if your hard work doesn’t pay off? Many businesses fail to realize that their online presence and positive reviews are the key to a successful business reputation. This can be the difference between a booming business and one that has no choice but to throw in the towel and close up shop.
Build Your Reputation
So, what happens if your business is at a standstill and you can’t seem to meet your goals? Then it is time to take a look at what others see when they look at your company. Your reputation is extremely important, especially in the day and age of instant information on social media and the internet in general. If your customers are searching for a business like yours, they need to find you and others that will attest positively to your services.
Ask For Reviews
Regardless of the nature of your business, reviews are everything. From dentists, to doctors, to hairstylists, all of them are measured by their reviews. People will check with close friends and family for recommendations and if they aren’t sure their next step is online.
Consumers search for reviews on products and base their purchase decisions on the opinions of others. If a stranger walked up to you and said, “Hey you have to try this awesome facial moisturizer,” chances are that you will not be too convinced and even a little creeped out. However, the world of online reviews is a different beast and people will blindly follow the reviews of others.
So, imagine that you receive a bad review from a customer or perhaps it’s a review from a person that hasn’t even experienced your products or services. The low rating, whether relevant or not, will bring your overall business reputation down, causing customers who are searching for you to turn to your competition because of their better online ranking.
Engage in Reputation Marketing
Your marketing should be heavily focused on your online reputation. Your other marketing techniques that involve radio, flyers, email, etc. will all lead your potential customers to the internet. Your reputation will be shown to them in less than a few clicks. This reputation should reflect who you are as a business and what you want others to see and know about you.
Reputation Management Tips
It is important to manage your very critical reputation. Here are some tips that will keep your business on the right track.
- Consider a range of locations for your reviews. Do not depend on one site for your reviews, make sure that your customers are leaving comments on all review sites to ensure that your visibility is good.
- Do not use fake reviews. Many people can spot a fake review and you should ensure that your customers are giving many details in their reviews to make it sound as realistic as possible.
- Keep the reviews coming in on a regular basis. Old reviews are not as important as new reviews, because people know that management changes and staff changes. Customers want to know how the business is rating in the present.
- Make sure there is a fair amount of reviews on your business. If there are only a few reviews, consider training your staff to ask for customer feedback.
- 5-star reviews are the goal, but making sure the reviews are quality reviews is more important. Keep your customers happy and keep those positive reviews coming in. Reputation management is critical to the success of your business.
Reviews and Your Marketing Strategy
Your online reputation relies heavily on reviews, but a comprehensive reputation marketing strategy is important to generate more leads outside your local area. For businesses that service multiple areas from one location, reviews should be a part of a larger reputation marketing plan.
Good reviews and SEO will make sure that a businesses’ website ranks well in all other cities in their surrounding area. Having a mobile friendly website is crucial to remove the stress between your customer’s need for your services and how easy it is to get in contact with you. Don’t let about half of your traffic escape you!
The Hidden Benefit of Great Reviews
Most business owners don’t realize that a good portion of their future business is a direct result of their past customers leaving positive reviews. You have got to put the work in to get the output in the business world. The investment you make in time will be returned in profit from new customers. The hidden benefit from an excellent online reputation is being able to maintain higher pricing than the competition. When the customers ask, “Why should I pay more for your service?” and you can simply reply, “Check out my online reviews and customer satisfaction levels.” This is letting your customer reviews speak for you, which is the best advertising you can ask for.
Don’t let one negative, disgruntled customer ruin it for you online reputation. Find a way to showcase your positive reviews and drown out the negative with a sea of positive reviews. The outcome will be well worth the time spent.