How Important Is Your Business’s Online Reputation?
Warren Buffett, one of America’s best-known investors, once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” If you’re looking to manage or improve your franchise’s public relations, these are words to live by. Today, more than ever before, your online presence and reputation are key to your success as a business.
Just a few decades ago, building a good reputation for your business was more straightforward. Potential customers would learn more about your business through your advertising campaigns or by word of mouth from friends and family. The game has changed, though. Today’s potential customers are more likely to first learn about your business from a search engine or social media, rather than from a friend’s recommendation.
Your business’s reputation is vital to its success. And today, your online reputation is one of the most important things you should be thinking about. Here’s why.
Why a Positive Online Reputation Is Important
Everything your business posts online directly reflects your organization: your website, your social media accounts, review pages about your business, and so on. Your business’s online presence acts as your storefront in today’s tech-savvy world. When a potential customer finds you through Google or Facebook, it’s essential that their first impression is a good one.
Customers have more choices than ever nowadays. Why should they choose to go with your business over your competitors? What image does your company put into the world that would make a potential customer decide to do business with you?
If you have an excellent reputation, a strong brand, and positive online reviews, potential customers will be able to see your quality and will feel confident in choosing your business.
However, if someone researches your business and sees an unfocused brand and negative reviews, they will be less likely to choose you. So how do you build that positive online reputation?
Maintain an Active Social Media Presence
Around 83 percent of internet users are on social media, with younger generations spending the most time online. About half of people use social media to research a product or brand before purchasing. And 71 percent say that they are likely to recommend a brand or product to others if they’ve had a positive experience with it on social media.
Social media is a valuable tool for your business. And being active on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allows you to frequently engage with your customers. It can also help establish a strong, consistent, and positive brand image. Your business’s personal voice can shine on social media, letting potential customers know who you really are.
Post quality content to encourage people to follow your business on social media sites. People will be more likely to follow and engage with your content if they enjoy or find value in it.
As well as maintaining your accounts, you can also choose to advertise on social media. Facebook ads, for example, can be an effective way to reach a specific group of customers.
Having a social media presence is vital in today’s digital world. But we know that social media can take a lot of time out of your day. Some businesses opt to partner with a company that is an expert in marketing to take the stress out of advertising on social media.
Monitor Online Reviews
You’re going out to eat and want to try a new restaurant. Or you’re thinking about seeing a movie. Or you’re debating about buying an item online. Chances are, you read online reviews before making your final decision to know what you’re getting into.
Customers today love to be informed before they buy. They want to listen to others’ experiences. This is especially true if someone is going to be paying a lot of money for a product or service.
In years past, people knew which businesses and products to go with based on what their friends said. Now, everyone with a smartphone or a computer has a voice, and internet reviews have rapidly replaced word of mouth. Whether potential customers are reading reviews on Yelp, online forums, or your website, they will do their research before making their final purchases.
No matter what your business is, people will be discussing you and your product. They want to know others’ experiences before making a purchase. This can be great for your online reputation or impact it detrimentally. Positive reviews from customers can encourage future customers to choose you over your competitors, but negative reviews can turn potential customers away for good. Head this off by knowing what reviewers are saying about your products or services and responding accordingly. Acknowledging a customer’s experience and taking their feedback seriously can go a long way toward ameliorating a negative review. More on this in the next section.
Respond to Customers in a Positive Way
When you’re talking to a customer face-to-face, you treat them with respect, aiming to establish a positive connection. Talking to customers online works the same way. But unlike having an in-person conversation, an online interaction can stay public for other people to read for years to come. Replying to customers online can be a great tool for establishing and improving your business’s online reputation.
If someone has asked a question about your product on a site like Facebook or Yelp, you can engage with the customer and offer a helpful response. This helps strengthen your reputation as genuinely caring about customers and their experiences and can help you build positive connections.
Unfortunately, people will sometimes leave negative reviews. While this can feel disheartening, this can also be an opportunity to manage your public relations. Instead of responding with hostility, react with empathy. Ask questions about the customer’s experience and offer to help fix any issues that you can.
Are you looking to improve your business’s online reputation? At InnoVision, we are experts in all things marketing, branding, and public relations. We know that building a positive online reputation takes time. It’s not something that can be done overnight.
Unlike a “typical advertising agency,” we want to be your partner and teammate in franchise public relations. We will work with you long-term to understand what makes your brand unique. If you want to improve your business’s online reputation, contact us today.
