Six ways to achieve success online: 1- Reputation Management

Reputation Management

Reputation. An often undervalued tool in digital marketing, but one that can work powerfully to both extremes. How many times have you visited an online store to purchase a product, to be subsequently put off by the overload of negative reviews? Or have you ever stumbled across a great deal on an unfamiliar site, prompting you to Google their name and research past buyer experiences with the seller? Lets apply this to your business. You may not realise it, but chances are your prospective customers are on this journey.

For a business owner, it’s imperative that you have positive reviews across all relevant platforms. Local business is increasingly competitive, and you can’t afford to loose swaying customers to competitors.

Reputation management scales accordingly to the size of your business, who you are targeting and how much time you are spending maintaining this. A small to medium sized business may want to target the local area, lets say Rochdale, where the bulk of your customers are. People will typically look at your social media accounts for other customers past experiences with you, and search for your company name on Google to likely see you on several business profile and directory sites. These directories typically allow for users to share their experiences with others, so it’s important that it’s a glowing review and not an unfavourable one! A larger business may think on a national scale, which makes it especially important to know where to focus your efforts. Good reputation comes from good service, however if you aren’t doing anything with that positive feedback, you’re throwing away potential.

So why focus your time on reputation management? Did you know 85% of people read local reviews online? And 73% of people are influenced by review scores. Gathering feedback is easy to do, but often overlooked. No longer is it all about out pricing your competitors. People will part with their money where they feel safest, and more so recommended. With a rise in social media and mobile devices, its getting easier then ever to share feedback with others. A good reputation can lead to word of mouth recommendations, and the foundations to building a positive relationship with prospect, and subsequently, returning customers.

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So how do you begin building up a good reputation online? Building up a relationship with a customer ensures they return to you in the future, and if you provide them with a good service, this makes it easy to get a testimonial from them. Getting as much positive feedback online is a big part of reputation management and should be your first, and on-going priority. Social media is a powerful platform for voicing opinions, so use it to its fullest potential. Google factors in review scores and feedback across its platforms and others, so don’t overlook google+. Ratings are also featured in local searches in the card to the right, so its hard to miss. Users can also select to view businesses that are above a certain rating adding further importance to managing your overall score.

The time you invest in reputation management dictates what you get from it. Bulletpoint offer a reputation management service to help you achieve the greater goal of a positive online profile. With our reputation management, we can ensure your positive reviews are visible to lurkers and not buried away. You can learn more about our service here or get in touch to discuss this further. Also be sure to check out our jargon buster glossary for further explanation on some terminology.

We have been using Bulletpoint for many years as our web designer and SEO campaigner. I have enjoyed working with Steve in creating our new website and updating it. I feel confident in their services and would be delighted to recommend to any one who may want the same service as we are having. Good company, good service.

Noah, Surrey Glazing Supplies