Managing Your Small Business Online Reputation

Credibility In The Facebook Era

If you think social media is less relevant to a brick-and-mortar store than it is to an e-commerce site, think again! Consumers today like to check and see what other people’s experiences have been, no matter the business. Here are just a few of the reasons why you need to manage your online reputation as a small business.

The online reputation of your small business goes far beyond a website and social media accounts. What people are saying about your small business is an important factor in online reputation and can carry significant weight. Consider these points:

Why spend money on digital advertising when your online reputation is horrible or nonexistent? Potential clients will use your bad reviews—or even lack of reviews—as a reason not to do business with you; that is a fact.

People sharing great experiences about your company online are selling for you.

The ant theory: If you see one ant there are generally thousands you cannot see nearby. If one person choses not to do business with you because of a bad review—or because there was not enough information available about your company—there are likely hundreds or thousands of people you never got the opportunity to meet because of the bad review or lack of information.

Regardless of an amazing guarantee, people want to envision themselves being satisfied with your company and not running into future dilemmas. They would rather hold off on spending money until they feel comfortable.

People are generally willing to spend more money with a company they recognize as more legitimate and trustworthy that consistently demonstrates high levels of customer satisfaction. Ensuring your small business has good reviews, then promoting those reviews, may help boost business in a positive direction.

Your company will not grow if it is not being conscious about providing an amazing customer experience. Online reputation and amazing customer experience go hand-in-hand.
– via Infusionsoft

 Overcoming Negative Reviews

Worried that you’ve received some bad reviews online? Don’t despair! A negative review isn’t necessarily as bad as it seems. For one thing, everyone knows that no company on earth has a 100% satisfaction rate – there will always be at least someone who wasn’t thrilled in one way or another. Additionally, you can use a negative review as a springboard for positivity in unexpected ways. Let’s take a look at exactly what a negative review does and doesn’t mean for your company.

Negative Reviews Keep You Honest

Is every review on your Yelp page five stars? The truth is that a page full of perfect but overgeneralized reviews can be as suspicious to consumers as a company with no reviews at all. Permit your customers to post the good, the bad and even the ugly feedback on review sites, because doing so shows that you value feedback and are committed to improving company performance.

While it’s silly to assume you can please everyone every time, a glut of negative comments could indicate that you need to work harder at customer satisfaction. Consider the feedback you receive, and look for common areas of complaint before making policy or operational changes.

Of course, it’s generally better to avoid receiving bad reviews in the first place. To minimize the odds of your customers airing their complaints in a public forum like Yahoo Local or Yelp, offer a mechanism by which they can more directly share their feedback with you. For example, you could include a comment form on your site to encourage visitors to contact you with questions and concerns. Just be sure to respond in a timely fashion so customers don’t go elsewhere with their grievances.

Responding to Negative Comments

Savvy business owners don’t just sit back when someone leaves a negative review. Instead, they take the time to reply to comments and attempt to correct the situation.

By responding to a bad review, you show the unhappy client—and all others who visit your profile—that you care about your customers’ feedback and are continuously striving to improve the experiences of your customers.

While you may be tempted to get defensive when a critique seems inaccurate, it’s important to remain calm and seek a remedy. Additionally, businesses should offer to correct the situation and invite the client to give your company another try in the future. In some cases, a customer may even be satisfied enough by your response to take down the bad review and leave a positive one in its place.
– via QuickBooks

Your customers WILL talk about you online – it’s up to you if you want to direct the conversation. How active are you online on behalf of your small business? Could you do more to grow your reach through encouraging reviews and social media engagement?