In the past, BizEngine has been a strong advocate for small businesses monitoring their online reputation. The reason for that is simple: If you’re not checking up on what people are saying about you and supporting or refuting it, you’re letting others set the narrative about your company.
That message can be a hard sell, I know. Some of you reading this post now probably have a minimal online presence, for reasons that range from a lack of time to have one all the way to a basic dislike of putting your business on an Internet podium. I understand those reasons, even if I’m still going to sermonize about the many wonderful reasons to take your business online. It’s routine business reputation management.
Hitting Small Businesses Where It Hurts
Lisa Barone at Small Business Trends has one of the most eye-opening posts I’ve seen on the subject, one you really need to read for both Barone’s trenchant analysis and the attached report from Webersh and Wick. For those who like to finish one article before they click through to another, let me give you a brief quote from Barone:
The most frequent response was that consumers stopped purchasing the product (40 percent). In fact, surprised consumers were twice as likely to STOP buying the product as they were to continue to buy it. And this is a product they originally admitted to liking! That was pretty startling to me. Just as noteworthy – consumers who didn’t immediately stop buying the product went online to try and learn more about the company.
That is a tangible drawback. The fact that 96 percent of customers take an action when they see something negative about a brand and the full 40 percent will walk away from your product should give you pause. If you’re not there to stand up for your company and correct any perceived wrongs, who’s going to do it for you?
The answer is no one. It’s up to you to protect your good name, and that means having a web presence and monitoring it. It takes time, yes, but you can’t afford to lose that business. Frankly, that’s some of the best business advice we can give you.
Three Easy Steps To A Better Reputation
- Create a quality website, preferably following Lisa Barone’s advice and creating a blog. A well-optimized, content-heavy page will put you higher in Google results and allow you to dominate the conversation about your company.
- Search for your company at least once a week on Google. If there are sites that are savaging you, or even comments, engage with them directly and offer to solve their problems.
- Use your online platform for good. Announce your charitable work, write up posts pledging to correct any mistakes your customers are complaining about and be a good Web citizen and you’ll reap the benefits.
How do you manage your online reputation? Sound off with fellow business owners in our comments.
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Photo credit to http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-18112527-perfect-reputation.php?st=ab28396
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