By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-04-05 23:07:08 | Word Count: 664
The internet is a universe that is global and widespread. Anything posted on the internet could potentially remain there forever. This could be a good or bad thing for your company depending on what content is out there. In today’s market reputation means everything. For some businesses, reputation is all they have. A good reputation takes a long time to develop and just a short time to destroy.
To maintain the reputation you worked so hard to build, you have to do everything in your power to protect it. On any given day, anyone can ruin your online reputation by publishing a scathing negative review or comment. You can’t allow years of hard work to go down the drain because of one disgruntled person. Customers, past employees and other businesses can anonymously hide behind a computer screen while they rip your company’s reputation to shreds.
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To refute the claims of a customer and limit any subsequent damage to your image, you should take a hands-on approach. A reputation management company can provide you with services that are geared towards protecting and repairing your online reputation. You don’t have to do it all on your own.
Optimum7 can help you keep track of your online reputation using some of the following methods:
1. Monitoring: Whenever a negative comment is made about your company, you should be aware of it. There is no reason for you to be in the dark about what is being said. By thoroughly searching for your business in a search engine, you may find results that are uncomplimentary. Searching for comments can take time, but should be done consistently. You can’t just assume that search results beyond the first page won’t be read by possible customers. Setup “Google Alerts” for your name and company name.
2. Response: If and when you find a negative comment, you should try to respond to the comment using the same forum. If someone used Facebook to broadcast something harmful, respond directly to the comment in the same fashion. Your response should address whatever claim or complaint was made. Whenever a customer reads the bad comment, your comment will be connected to it. Try to take the conversation offline by offering them a phone number to call.
3. Resolution: Offer customers a resolution to the matter. If they thought you gave them a bad car wash or meal, offer a discount, coupon or voucher for future services. Showing that you take the clients’ concerns seriously and that you want to do everything in your power to rectify the issue is a good message to send to others. It shows that customer satisfaction is important to you.
4. Management: A main component of an online reputation services package should include management. Management includes getting more positive materials about your company on the web. This could include multiple websites that depict your business in an affirmative way. These websites could include a blog, video site, Facebook page, etc.
Try not to wait until a disastrous comment or review is written about you. You can proactively build positive PR. Call Optimum7 today…we can help you! Call us at 1-800-736-9618.
