Nowadays, people are talking about the products you sell online. But are you listening to them? Are you effectively building and managing your online reputation?
If your answer is NO, now would be a good time to take up your efforts and take control over how people perceive your company, products, and services in the online world.
Social media is essentially a giant echo chamber of people’s views. It is also a great place for the consumer to get to know and trust you. Small complaints can get out of hand very quickly.
Managing your online reputation implies taking a proactive approach to what information people stumble upon on the internet. Most businesses will find it hard to keep their customer happy.
They continuously try to develop new products and features to meet customer needs, but no matter how much companies invest in product development, it might create the impact they want. People don’t do business with a company. They do business with other people. As a business owner, part of your goal is to get consumers to like and trust you online.
The Internet has already spent some time convincing us of the importance of acquiring online customer reviews. Over the last few years, online reviews have been a non-negotiable part of every local business.
Reviews help people decide which products or services they should buy, where they should travel, and even where they should eat. Having four or five-star reviews shows your business can be trusted to deliver on its promises. This means your consumers are more likely to choose you over your competitors online.
Today, customers are beginning to value the opinions of other customers. They not only value online reviews, but they are willing to pay more for a product or service from a company with higher ratings.
Negative comments travel at the speed of light in the online world. If you don’t react on time, they can negatively affect how people view your business. Online reputation management has the same goal of portraying the company in the best possible light, the only difference between them is how they aim to achieve that goal.
Luckily, there are tools out there that you can use to make sure you never miss a mention of your brand name. The key to effectively managing an online reputation is acknowledging the reactions to your products or services so you can minimize the negative comments and amplify the positive ones.
For example, if someone wrote positive comments about your product or service, you can leave a comment and thank them. That’s how managing online reputation works.
Here are the top reviews websites that you should always update and keep an eye on:
Google My Business
Businesses need to get Google reviews. Great online reviews on your Google My Business listing help your business stand out from the crowd. Google reviews can also help in rankings because they give businesses a big credibility boost by influencing brand trust, increasing online exposure, and driving local SEO.
While Google helps you rank higher on the search engine, Facebook can help you collect and change people’s mindsets on social media. Facebook reviews are essential for every small business since potential customers often visit a local business on social media to consult online reviews before they make purchases.
These days customers tend to leave recommendations publically more than they review business by direct messaging. This means business owners or online sellers should start paying more attention to their reviews on Facebook.
Amazon
Add to cart buttons, a wish list, and numerous shipping options, Amazon positions itself as the front-runner for the best online shopping experience. Amazon knows about the importance of user-generated content. They continually collect enormous amounts of reviews and answers to questions by following up with customers after they have received their purchases.
Reviews, questions, and answers are instrumental in putting a shopper’s mind at ease. One of the hallmarks of Amazon is that they will show you related products which help customers make informed decisions about their purchase.
If you have good ratings and positive reviews, they increase the likelihood of convincing more prospects to consider you. Ultimately, these can also become a deciding factor in their purchase.
The internet is already saturated and it can be difficult for a small business to stand out and claim a space online. One way to dominate your local SEO results is by showing authentic customers reviews.
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