Every business needs an online reputation strategy. Otherwise, a company will get left behind biting the dust thanks to the growing competition and the increasing skepticism of consumers. Consumers of today have wised up and are no longer as gullible as they once were. They second guess everything. If your reputation does not stand up to scrutiny, consumers will go to your competitors.
84% of consumers don’t even trust advertisements anymore. The trust of consumers has shifted to reviews. They have learned that a fellow consumer is more trustworthy than a manufacturer or merchant. It is for this exact reason, that you need online review management to be the core of your online reputation strategy.
Here are the top 4 reasons why online review management might be just what you need to succeed in today’s globally competitive landscape:
A Good Reputation Increases Employee Loyalty
Getting qualified employees is harder than ever before. Job seekers want job security. They take their time to analyze the reputation of a company before deciding whether or not they should send their application. Websites like Glassdoor make it easy for job hunters to form an impression on the reliability of a company.
Glassdoor gives users an idea of how respectable a company is by gathering anonymous reviews and other information provided by those who work for that company. Having a proper review management strategy in place will make sure that Glassdoor will give users a favorable impression regarding your business.
In this competitive world, getting the right talent can make or break a business. Don’t let your competitors grab the best of the bunch. Employ the necessary only review management strategies to make jobseekers want to come to you first.
A Good Reputation Creates Customer Advocates
A pristine online reputation is the most effective way of inspiring brand loyalty. And once your brand is able to resonate with its audience, you’ll have an army of loyal advocates who want to spread the word of your products and/services on their own volition. They will promote your business for you and do it for free. And as mentioned above, consumers tend to take the word of fellow consumers more seriously. So the marketing customer advocates will provide you will not only be free but will also be of really high quality.
Customer advocates will also help manage your online reputation for you. Some will even have their own online review management strategies to help you out. Having an army of everyday consumers screaming how great your brand is can even lead to a significant reduction in your marketing expenses. After all, why spend on advertising when your customers are already doing most of the work for you? It’ll be better to just divert the funds to other areas such as product research and development so you can grow your business faster.
Here are the 3 things you need to do to manage your business’ online reputation through customers:
Give your customers ample opportunity to share their experience with your brand
Listen to the needs of your customers and address issues promptly and properly
Exceed the expectation of your customers as often as possible.
A Good Reputation Builds Trust, Transparency, & Credibility
Getting positive word of mouth about your brand constantly spreading is the end-goal of an online review management strategy. Once you achieve this, the effectiveness of your marketing efforts will increase exponentially. You will also have a buffer against negative press which may give you the time you need to employ damage mitigation. Get good reviews. Establish an honest reputation. And earn the trust of consumers. Every business needs to do this.
Do not make the mistake of thinking online review management is taking control of what consumers are saying. Good reviews are most effective when they are honest and authentic. Online review management strategies are all about compelling consumers to write and publish positive reviews about your brand that they truly believe in.
You also need to manage where consumers can discuss your company. This will help prevent the spread of inaccurate information. Encourage your consumers to talk about your brand in the comments section of your blog posts or in your social media pages. This will allow you to curate the comments and respond with corrections in case there is a false claim about your brand. Avoid deleting comments. Just respond to them with respect and clarity and explain properly why the particular comment is misleading. This will help build your reputation as a transparent brand.
A Good Reputation is a Magnet for Great Customer Insights
Honest insight and accurate feedback are essential to improving your business. If you implement your review management strategy properly, it will serve as a way for consumers to provide you with valuable information that you can use to make your products and/or services even better. Use the data your customers willingly provide you to give them a better experience with your brand.
Listen to your customers. Take the time to know your customers. Understand the needs and expectations of your customers. These will serve as the foundations of your strong business reputation. The more your consumers care about your brand, the more they will make the effort to tell you about what they think. Use their opinions to evaluate your business and identify areas of improvement.
Interact with your customers to let them know you are listening and that you value their feedback. An effective online review strategy also factors making prompt responses to things said about your brand. Use chatbots to immediately send replies to direct messages sent to your inboxes. Employ curators who can respond to questions asked about you in your social media channels. The key is employing the right combination of online review management strategies for your brand.
Conclusion
Your online reputation can make or break your company. Gossips and rumors can completely destroy your brand if they are not properly managed. The best time to begin listening to what your customers are saying is now. Take control of your reputation by deploying an effective online review management strategy.
Keep track of customer feedback. Prioritize getting the best talent. Continuously build fierce loyalty to your brand. Provide great customer service. And make your customers feel that they are truly your top priority. If you are not sure how you can get started with such as colossal task, you can contact us at Integrity Reputation Marketing so we can schedule your phone appointment with our CEO.
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