Top 5 Ways to Enhance Your Online Reputation

Stop what you’re doing. Breathe in and out. Now…think back to the last time you looked at a social media feed. Of all of the posts you saw, how many businesses do you remember seeing on the feed? And Google…how many companies do you remember seeing at the top of your search results the last time you searched for anything? My point? You may not be able to remember all the businesses that popped up on that feed or on your search results, but I’m certain that I would hear a resounding “a lot” as the answer.

In today’s market, it’s no longer a question of whether or not your business should be online. With over 3 billion internet users in the world, there is no good reason not to be. Even if it’s not where your customers were, it’s where they are now. And there’s a good chance someone is researching your business online as you read this. Feeling confident in your online presence? To make sure you’re going in the right direction, here are our Top 5 Ways to Enhance Your Online Reputation:

1. Monitor Your Online Presence

To get more “likes” and follows online, it’s important to “like” and follow yourself. Monitor what businesses and customers are saying about your brand, products, and your company. Failure to do so is asking for trouble because if you don’t know what’s being said about you, you don’t know how to respond, which will eventually turn into lost business. There are tools available to help, such as: Google Alerts, Hootsuite, Social Mention, and others.

2. Actively Engage with Your Audience

The information of today is much more social than it was a decade ago, which means that your customers are more willing to consult with Google, Facebook, Yelp, and other platforms before even thinking of calling to get your advice. If you want to build your online reputation, then it is crucial to build relationships with your target audience and actively engage with them on their playing grounds. Although the playing grounds may have changed in the past decade, customers still want to talk with a “good-ole” human being. So, don’t leave your humanity at the login screen.

3. Be Memorable and Shareable

So you’ve found out where your target audience is hanging out online and you’re thinking about stepping in and saying “Hi”. While you’d probably get points for being modern and socializing online, customers’ attention spans are about as quick as the text greeting you just posted. Everyone’s time is more valuable than ever before and every person you interact with will need to know why talking to you is worth their time. Strategically and consistently create memorable and shareable content. If you posted a meme that made someone laugh, then you’ve caught their attention for a few more seconds than otherwise would have been. If that meme was so funny that they have to share it with their friends, then you’ve embedded yourself in their memory and opened doors to be memorable to their friends. More shares mean more followers, which means you have become a source of value that is worth sharing.

4. Use Feedback to Your Advantage

When it comes to the online social world for a business, be sure to throw out the phrase of “It’s not important what other people think”. In the social media world, “what other people think” is your business and it’s your duty to respond to that feedback, whether positive or negative. As mentioned before, “don’t leave your humanity at the login screen”. When you get positive feedback, take the time to say “Thank you”, celebrate with your customers and ask them to write a review. When you get negative feedback, take the time to genuinely say “I’m sorry”, redirect the conversation off of social media and solve the problem. If you need a tool to help you direct your feedback, check out our Customer Retention Tool.

5. Create a Trusted and Positive Brand

For a growing online reputation, nothing should be more important than building trust with your audience. In your content strategy, be sure that your brand is consistent and transparent. Increasing the amount of positive information and content that shows up on social media and Google search results can only help in building that trust. A customer who is happy may follow you. A customer who trusts you will create a following for you.

This is just the beginning…

If you need more help in enhancing your online reputation, we want to talk with you. It is our goal to do all that we can to make a meaningful difference in our customers’ lives and with everyone we meet. Call us at (210) 695-0795 or Email us at dream@quacito.com.

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