It’s easy to think about managing your reputation when your company is the victim of bad press, bad reviews, or disgruntled employees. In the busy-ness of your typical day-to-day workflow, you might not remember to keep reputation management at the forefront of business management. In truth, though, crafting and managing a favorable reputation is actually a function of marketing because it impacts how the world views your company and its products and services. That, in turn, impacts how your target market reacts to your products and services. That reaction or perception impacts your bottom line.
As business continues to move toward robust online ventures, savvy merchants take advantage of the tools that help them maintain a positive online reputation. As a function of your company culture, managing your online presence leads to increased consumer engagement, enhanced brand definition, and increased sales and profitability. Think reputation management is only for huge corporations and politicians? Not so. Small business owners – who are often the face and voice of their company – should be more aware than ever of every aspect of their online presence. Managing and maintaining a solid online reputation is particularly important for small business owners, where your digital reputation is often all potential clients have to rely on in building a relationship with you.
Online Reputation Management In Action
Your online persona allows you to build trust among your target market and do damage control to your online reputation. If you’ve received an unfavorable online review from an unhappy client, how you react says as much about your reputation as a damaging review. When you look at the review from a reputation management perspective, you’ll realize there are three courses of action you can take, all of which affect your reputation. You simply choose between a positive or negative effect.
- Ignore the review and let the chips fall where they may
- Respond to the review stating all the things that are wrong with the review and the individual who posted it
- Respond to the review with clarity, professionalism, and an offer to assist the reviewer. This response allows you to speak to two key people:
- the unsatisfied client with an offer to set things right
- potential clients (who will pay attention to how you treat complainers)
Reputation management lets you analyze and scrutinize your current online reputation and take control of your personal and business future. Managing your online presence starts by having a complete understanding of all its moving parts – business website, social media profiles, review site entries, content creation, web copy, SEO-optimization, and backlinks. It means more than damage control and effective resolutions. It means establishing and actively maintaining a positive brand image and company culture. It means understanding your target market – and all its segments – and building a reputation they respond to and are eager to engage with. With the right tools, like the one we provide at Rannko, you’ll have the ability to assess and correct any damage to your professional and business reputation.
Managing your reputation lets you and your target market set, understand, and respect mutual expectations. It’s a cost-effective, marketing method that influences all other marketing avenues from product tags to storefront windows to online portrayal. Rannko provides you with the tools, resources, and experienced help you need to create the online reputation your business deserves. We’re an affordable option that lets you trust your reputation to us. In other words, your team and ours work together to effectively manage your reputation while you do what you do best – develop new products and services that increase your profitability.
