Ever wondered how you can impress your clients? Well, you don’t have much time to make an exciting first impression. According to a study,your business only has 7 seconds to impress your clients.
If you’re already a successful entrepreneur, you may already know that first impression are important. But the same rule is true for your online reputation as well!
Let’s see how. Check out the first thing that pops up when someone searches your business on Google. What do the first four to five reviews look like?
If people don’t see the positive aspect of your business online, they would never risk purchasing your products or services.
Below are a few common mistakes that might be damaging your online reputation and keeping potential customers away You may want to invest in the services of an online reputation management agency if you realize that you are making some of these errors!
Not Taking Charge of Your Reputation
People always perceive you the way you present yourself. The same holds for businesses as well. If you won’t work on building our reputation, your competitors may use this opportunity to turn your customers against you.
Therefore, instead of neglecting your online reputation, make it a critical part of your digital marketing strategy.
Actively posting about your clients can easily help you make a good first impression. Share customers’ positive reviews on your website and partner up with reputable social media influencers to market your products.
If you receive a negative review from a client, try to resolve their problem and give them an immediate response on their feedback. This way, other people will also learn that you have high regard for your customers.
Leaving Listings Unclaimed
If you want to take charge of your online reputation, you should claim and update your company’s information on Google, Yelp, and other platforms. The primary reason these listings matter is that they are one of the first things to pop up on someone’s screen when they Google your business. They also help your customers find your business address and working hours, without having to call you.
Besides, if you won’t create your business listing yourself, Yelp and Google may generate a local listing automatically, which may lead to significant reputation damage, especially if the information is incorrect.
When you create a business listing, mention all the important details about your business, such as your office location, contact information, email address, and more. Doing this will also help your clients reach out to you if there’s a need.
Ignoring Social Media
Gone are the days when people used phone calls or emails to file their complaints or share their queries about your business. According to a study, about 60 percent of Millennials prefer using social media to voice their complaints and concerns. If you don’t pay attention to the concerns on social media, or If you think that social media is only a headache, you need to think again.
Today, including social media in your online marketing has become a necessity. It’s no longer a choice. Taking care of your customers online is critical for brand perception and it’s the best way to strengthen your relationship with your customers.
Businesses that ignore their customers’ comments, reviews, feedback, and complaints on social media, risk losing them forever. If someone complains about a brand’s product on their social media page and doesn’t receive any response, more than one-third of customers will stop purchasing any products from them in the future.
Underestimating the Importance of Online Reviews
Regardless of how much money you invest in your digital marketing program, how many blogs you post every day, or how many videos you share to promote your business, your business won’t succeed if you forget about online reviews.
While launching a pay-per-click campaign (PPC) and sharing valuable content on social media channels is important, a majority of consumers research your company before they make a purchasing decision.
If there are some negative reviews about your business here and there on the web, your customers will certainly see them when researching your business. They may ignore these reviews, but if the number of negative reviews outnumbers your positive reviews or if you’ve got no positive reviews online, they won’t purchase your products or services.
According to a study, 86 percent of consumers read online reviews before they visit a business’s website. There’s no possible way to stop unhappy customers from sharing their experience; you can, however, reduce the negative impact of their reviews on other people by replying positively to their customers.
About 90 percent of consumers read brands’ responses to reviews! The point here is that, if you’ll respond well to the negative reviews or your customers and if you’ll genuinely make an effort to resolve their concerns, you won’t only retain those customers but you’ll also build trust among the newcomers. Besides, also focus on providing your happy customers some space to write about their experiences.
Seeking Help from the Under-Qualified
When a business realizes it needs some help with its digital footprint, it delegates the responsibilities internally as costs are comparatively lesser than hiring a professional team for such services. However, if you’re handing responsibility to under-qualified people, you’ll probably do more harm to your business than good.
Most CEOs tend to assign social media responsibilities to internees who don’t have any experience in the area or executives who don’t have time to do an effective job. If you do this, beware that you’re putting months and years of hard work at risk.
It’s best to partner up with an experienced SEO expert or a reliable digital marketing company to learn how SEO works and leverage their services for improving your website traffic.
All in all, digital marketing and online reputation aren’t something that you can assign to anyone. These jobs are extremely critical and directly affect your business. Therefore, you need to develop a comprehensive strategy for your online reputation management. For effective online reputation management, you need experience and qualifications.
About Author:-
John is a reputation management expert and digital marketing strategist, who’s been associated with Search Berg since 2012 and focuses on providing quantifiable reputation management services to clients. The writer also provides consultancy services to help large and small-scale organizations understand effective ways to build a relationship of trust with their online customers.