Understanding Online Brand Reputation Management can really help you to protect your business
Brand loyalty is critical to growing a business, retaining satisfied customers and building your brand, which is ultimately what business owner’s care about the most.
Online brand reputation has become a much bigger priority for businesses in recent times as conversations about brands are now taking place 24/7 on social media, independent review sites and online business profiles so it is increasingly more important to make sure that you are aware of how your brand is being talked about and that you are not only contributing to the conversation but also adding value and insight to those discussions.
It is increasingly important that you are not just encouraging and controlling the feedback for your brand but also that you are responding to positive and negative feedback when it appears online in a way that best reflects your bands online reputation and core values.
Honest and accurate feedback in the form of what others say online and think about our brands is crucial, even if it is sometimes uncomfortable to hear, but by addressing any concerns, highlighting the positives and making sure we show gratitude when things do go our way and making every effort to present our brand in the best light by listening and improving where we can in response to feedback is key.
Making a good impression
What first impression do you want your brand to portray……while you were thinking about the answer to that question, a potential client already made up their mind about your brand!
It takes less than a second to form a first impression so it is well worth considering how the look and feel of your website impacts the way people feel about your site, often that assessment is transferred to its functionality. Rightly or wrongly, many of us are visual creatures and will make snap decisions based on a colour or design before we actually look into the finer details of the product or service on offer so, try to pre-empt this by asking an impartial person to take a look at it for you and offer their first impressions.
Embrace who you are and be proud of your brand
Your brand is a combination of who you are (you and your team of employees) who you want to be (your brand values and aspirations) and so effects who people perceive you to be.
Take a close look at all your customer touch points and assess if your brand is present and consistently represented online and offline, for example:
- How you and your staff answer online questions, comments and service requests as well as phone calls
- Language used internally and externally to describe your brand and products/services matches your online profile and brand ethos
- Your Email Signature, downloadable assets, video and image led content are all consistent with your brand identity
- Signage and vehicle decals are regularly updated and reflect your business in a positive way providing all of your online contact points
- Your Social Media presence is consistent with your brand and shows an active, positive and helpful presence
- Your Website and other online listings are updated regularly as your business changes and grows to reflect your brand as it is today
- Regularly review all of your online profiles, created manually and automated sites and any search engine listings to be sure they are all consistent and have up to date information
Listen and pay attention
Understanding your online reputation and making sure you are keeping up with online mentions and reviews about you is imperative, so make sure that you are:
- Listening and paying attention to what is being said, taking on board feedback that can lead to a positive change
- Showing your customers and potential customers that you will take criticism well and how you have responded to it previously to make changes
- Acting positively to change a bad situation into a good one and showing your ethos and social responsibility is important to you
- Putting your hands up when a mistake is made and doing what you can to apologise and/or correct it
- Being open an honest about how you handle sensitive data and the importance of your audiences privacy
Showing you are listening and care enough to respond/act will prove to your audience that you are a brand that can be trusted and that you value their input.
Finally, remember, all feedback good and bad, should be seen as a fantastic opportunity for you to learn about ways to win more business, as by better understanding the needs of your customers you will make yourself accessible, personable, and customer centric, and so improve the reputation of your brand.
If you are not sure how to begin your journey of building or improving your brands online reputation and would like some help getting started, web2market are here for you.
Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or call us directly on 01480 878510 if you have any questions or need our support with your digital marketing.