Photo Credit: Victor1558 via flickr
Your brand is everything and you hinge your company's success on it. Today's online advertising and marketing world is an interesting place for the image you've crafted to sink or swim. On one hand, you're getting the kind of exposure you never thought possible in the old print and television days. On the other side of the coin, the Internet is accessible to everyone including disgruntled ex-employees and those people who would rather take to cyberspace than settle their business related differences with you personally.
Here's a few sobering stats to wrap your head around that will illustrate what we're talking about. First, you should know how much your reputation is worth according to the Big Four consulting firms like Deloitte. For several years now, it has been saying that reputation management is the No. 1 risk for big firms across the world. Of course, that includes small business and even sole proprietors as well.
Big, small or medium-sized, your business takes years to establish a brand that is consistent and effective. Too many times, with today's social media, people make harmful or even libelous remarks online that stick. Being on the receiving end of a torrent of negative blogs and tweets can be damaging and even bring your reputational house down if left unchecked.
You've more than likely heard the stories already and maybe even been a victim yourself. If that's the case, learning how to best use the tools at your disposal will balance out any damage over time.
Get Active and Creative.Press releases and the company news section on your website are just two of the ways that you can fight back. Businesses of all sizes need to understand online sales are a juggernaut that's growing. In fact, Statistic Brain states that U.S. online sales have gone from $263 billion in 2013 to a projected $440 billion for next year. Having a strong push back against any negative comments or posts starts with some well planned countermeasures . Sponsoring events and highlighting your suppliers and partners helps.
The online companies that understand the importance of reputation management also need the benefits of being proactive. MyDeals is a coupon website that heads potential trouble off at the pass by offering a strong interactive element.
Allowing clients to have a say by leaving comments on blogs and posts is one surefire method to bring them into the fold so they feel like your website is a community they're part of. If you're looking to take that idea to the next level, take a page from MyDeals. It asks visitors to submit the coupons and deals they find on their own. It's the perfect proactive target-market-interaction-defense to thwart those looking to sully an online reputation. Say bad things about this website and you're likely to have a whole community of interactive users turn on you.
BlogThe best way to fight back against haters is with positive messages and that's what blogging provides. Writing about the good things your company does and industry trends and the like will boost your site in the SERPs. The bad stuff that's been showing up in these numbers will eventually be buried in the wave of good tidings that blogging offers, and you'll even get more traffic to your site and potential sales with this handy personalized tool.
Blending your blogging topics to give your target market value added information that helps to sell your product is smart. MyDeals understands that folks looking for its kind of of coupon website will also be interested in any and all advice on how to save in other areas. Beyond being good for its bottom line, this technique also helps the site to build on its credibility with new and potential users.
Social StuffTurning the tide against a bad reputation means using all the arrows in your quiver and that includes your social media profiles. You need to have a good and consistent presence on all of the social media networks because there's less chance of the negative vibes getting through. There are some social media sites that do better in the Google results like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter so you should be concentrating your efforts there.
Making sure your clients feel like they have a say and are connected to you is an important way to increase those social media creds on the Web. Don't forget video ranks well and YouTube submissions cover visuals that are always helpful complements to written text. Video helps you to offer something more personal, which helps foster trust. People still like to see the faces of those they're doing business with and no amount of snazzy website design will totally compensate for that.
It shouldn't be any surprise that reputational management is one of the aspects you need to work on with your online enterprise. Fixing any damage often requires a dedicated effort and being proactive requires pretty much the same. In the end, using these techniques to build or fix an online persona should translate into increased sales.
Rob Starr is a freelance journalist and content writer that covers a variety of IT/eCommerce subjects. He has worked with the Big4 accounting/consulting firms in NYC and reported on IT innovations for them. He lives in Toronto but currently works with PlacementSEO in Pennsylvania.
Source: How Reputation Management Can Save Your Online Brand
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