Given the mass usage of the internet—and more specifically, social media—to conduct business today, it should come as no surprise that having a favorable online reputation is essential for sales rates and profits.
Furthermore, according to recent surveys, around 90 percent of people trust the reviews they read about businesses online. Many of these respondents say that positive reviews influenced whether they engaged with the business further.
To ensure that your business has a favorable online reputation, you should employ reputation management. There are three segments to reputation management:
- Building. Building your business’s reputation occurs whether you’re starting a new business or just reaching out to a new demographic. Your goal should always be to start out with a great reputation.
- Maintaining. Once you have a good reputation, your goal should be to keep it.
- Recovering. If you happen to have a setback, your goal should shift to repairing your negative reputation. One strategy for accomplishing this is to rebuild your reputation over time by partnering with others with a strong positive image in the public.
Leverage Social Media as a Tool
Social media can be a great avenue to leverage for building a positive online reputation. If you plan to use social media to grow or strengthen your online reputation, avoid customer complaints because they can travel quicker through social media.
For those concerned with having their entire business on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, consider creating a separate handle for your customer support. For example, @(business)Support.
Not only can inquiries be handled quicker, but any negativity can be separate from your main social media page.
What Social Platform Fits Your Business?
Just because you choose to utilize social media doesn’t mean you necessarily need to use all social platforms. You do have the option to use the platforms that work best for your individual business. For example, B2B businesses may find that LinkedIn is the best fit.