While the internet makes it easier than ever to connect with customers from all walks of life, it only takes one negative social media comment, blog post, or review to damage your brand.
When a customer is considering investing in your product or service, they will likely research your company to make an informed choice. If you want to ensure negative feedback never stands in the way of your success, you must look for ways to manage your online image.
To ensure your brand is always presented in the best possible light, find out how to quickly improve your online reputation.
Counteract negative reviews
Unfortunately, disgruntled customers are more likely to write a review over happy ones. If you have many negative reviews that are harming your reputation online, you should encourage satisfied customers to offer glowing feedback about your business on different review sites.
For example, you can generate many positive reviews by:
- Asking your customers at the right time – such as when they are re-purchasing a product or after a referral
- Incentivize them to write a review—a coffee gift card for their impartial feedback
- Add backlinks to review websites on your email newsletter and website
In addition to encouraging happy customers to write positive reviews, you also must take the time to respond to negative feedback. While you might not agree with their viewpoint, you must apologize for their disappointment and should aim to rectify the problem, which could improve your reputation online.
Expand your online presence
Don’t make the mistake of maintaining a presence on only one or two platforms, as it only takes one negative comment to cause a drop in sales and a bad reputation. To secure your success, grow your brand recognition, and develop a positive image, you should aim to expand your online presence.
For example, you might need to look beyond a website and Facebook presence and should start generating PPC, Instagram, Twitter, and email marketing campaigns. You also don’t need to invest a considerable sum into various marketing tactics, as you can publish organic social media posts and utilize free SEO tools that will drive substantial traffic to your site.
Align your business with powerful influencers
Influencer marketing can be a powerful PR tactic, as it can increase your brand awareness overnight, align your company with a popular personality, and can increase trust in your brand. If an influencer promotes your product or service on their blog or social media platform, it’s possible you could generate many sales in a matter of hours.
What’s more, their association could create a buzz about your brand, which could lead to many positive articles, videos, and comments being published that could minimize the impact of any negative comments online.
Regularly monitor your reputation
Never allow a bad review or blog to damage your brand by regularly monitoring your reputation online. For example, you could set-up a Google Alert for your brand name to receive a notification each time your business is mentioned online. You can then take the steps to ask a webmaster to remove a damaging article or can attempt to resolve a customer issue before requesting they take down their comment.
