Maintaining a solid reputation management strategy is becoming more important than ever in the business world. It’s almost as if there are specific forces working against small businesses and major companies trying to tear down brand reps all over the globe. Trying to build a reputation – or even worse, repair one – can seem impossible.
Luckily, all is not lost. There are plenty of professional agencies specializing in brand reputation, and clients of the top agencies say that investing in this type of service is entirely worth it. If hiring a pro to handle your brand’s reputation isn’t in the cards for you budget wise, simply follow this advice from a leading reputation management service.
If you’re ignoring your reputation, you’re doing something wrong.
No matter what you think about reputation management, you don’t really have the option to opt out of it anymore. Sure, in the past you could have gotten away with ignoring it, but those days are long gone. Now is the time to start investing in your company’s reputation, partly because the business world is more cutthroat than ever.
According to a source called Search Engine Land, “For many small businesses, the complete lack of proactive reputation management leaves them in the position of a sitting duck. With little more than just a website to represent you online, you’re in a precarious position if anyone creates a site to target you or even just posts something on social media, as those items could rank for your business name searches.”
Think proactive, not reactive.
Just as the quote above states, if you fail to take proactive measures in regards to your brand’s rep, things can quickly turn sour. A common mistake is to simple react to an event that harms or could potentially destroy a reputation, rather than take measures to prevent the event from happening in the first place.
Don’t ignore social media.
If you haven’t noticed lately, social media is taking a toll on the world. In fact, some business experts are saying that social media is the most influential source for a company’s reputation. If you’re not doing your part to build your social media accounts, you’ll quickly fall behind the competition (if you haven’t already).
You might not realize that social media affects more than just, well, social media. These days social media plays a huge role in search engine optimization, the second most important marketing strategy behind social media marketing. By investing time in social media and engaging friends, followers, and potential customers, you’ll be do wonders for your brand reputation.
Don’t be afraid to listen and apologize.
Sometimes a disgruntled employee just want to hear the words “I’m sorry.” In most cases, a quick apology to an unhappy customer followed by a solution to the issue is enough to keep the company’s rep at an all-time high. When in doubt, say you’re sorry. Then, simply listen to the customer to come up with a solution that leaves them feeling happy and catered to.
