Set realistic expectations with your customers. If you own a small business, let your customers know when you will respond to their questions. If you cannot answer every question immediately, place a banner saying that all questions will be answered within a certain amount of time, such as within 72 hours.
Pay attention to your online presence. It only takes one negative review to hurt your business. If you keep an eye on search results, you can ensure that negative feedback won't be high up in the results. You should generally do this a couple times each month.
One good way to improve the reputation of your company is by asking customers who are happy with your service or product to post positive reviews on your blog or website. You can also ask them to say something nice about your company on sites like Linkedln, Google Places or Yelp.
If you make a mistake, apologize quickly. Most people realize that everyone is human and mistakes do happen. If you are able to rectify the mistake do so quickly and address it on your website or social media site. If you are unable to rectify the mistake, apologize and go on with your business.
The last thing you want is for people to look for your business online and they come up with a lot of empty directory listings. If you notice that the listing for your site is incomplete, you should do whatever you need in order to change that. You should also work hard on correcting any information that is erroneous.
Watch what you say. This applies to both online and offline interactions. Avoid having any discussions about illegal activity or making derogatory comments. You also want to avoid having yourself and your business tied to images that are explicit or inappropriate. Also, try to avoid doing or saying anything negative that will be on a news station. Potential investors and customers may see these things as red flags.
Go where your customers go. If they frequent specific restaurants or some other location, go there often. By getting to where the customers are going, you're going to learn more about them so you can give them better service. Many people feel more comfortable in a social setting and will be more apt to open up to you.
When you are publicly responding to any feedback that is left by a customer, make sure to address them by name. People want to know that business owners see them as individuals and not as one part of a very large group. Using their names will give them what they want.
Work towards transparency. This includes being completely honest when dealing with customers and admitting to errors when you make them so that you will take care of them correctly. A good reputation comes with transparency.
Social media can sometimes seem like it gets out of hand if you're not looking. It can blow up in a good way, but the wrong people can gain access to the wrong things or put something out there that makes you look http://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Business-Office-Software/b?ie=UTF8&node=283001 bad. So, you don't want the liberties of social media showing your business up.
When you discover that a customer has posted a negative review of your product or service it is natural to want to post an immediate defense of your company. Take a moment and make sure that you don't respond out of anger. A ranting and raving response on your part will deter more customers than the original negative review.
Join your local chamber of commerce. This is another way to lend credibility to your business, especially if your company is still fairly new. Becoming a member of your local chamber of commerce helps you in establishing your business as a visible part of your community. This can give your reputation a boost.
Get familiar with the review sites that are on the web. More and more people are writing reviews about their experiences with a product or service. You never know if a review was written about your company. Do not ignore reviews, but learn from them. This is good way to improve your business.
Good reputation management is not about saying good things about your own company. It is about your company's positive actions. Consumers judge a company by what it actually does, not by the things it says. When verbal promises are not backed by actions, the customer loses trust in the company and the reputation suffers.
If you want to manage your business reputation, be a business that is available to its customers. Keep a real person on the other end of a customer service phone line, and have somebody respond to people's comments and questions on your website. Customers may curse you out if they cannot talk to an actual person in your business.
If the reputation of your business is closely tied to your website, make sure you've got the best in online security. You don't want your site compromised by hackers, but you absolutely must protect the integrity of your customer's sensitive information too. Nobody will ever buy from you twice if they suspect there's any risk involved, and your reputation will crumble.
One of the best ways to manage your business reputation is to provide flawless customer service. This will naturally create happy customers who post positive comments and engage in your social media sites. Encourage satisfied clients to speak up and to mention specifics about how your products or services made a positive impact on their lives.
Keeping yourself cool when things are hard for you can help you keep a good reputation online. Become well versed in the art of stress management if you have to. Get regular exercise, or be a part of a team sport, so you have gst registration malaysia a wayto blow off steam and keep a cool head. Don't get into flame fights online. This could possibly scar your reputation.
After having read some about reputation management, you should start putting a plan into action. It's only going to be more in-depth as your business grows, so you better get a hold of everything now. Otherwise, you might find yourself treading water one day when you get some negative publicity.
