Online reputation is another way of saying “credibility.” When your website has a strong reputation, there is an increased brand awareness and better sales. Yet, building an online reputation is difficult. People and companies continue to struggle with it their reputation management. There are a lot of elements that contribute to your online credibility—and not all of it is concerned with how many followers you have on social media.
Let’s have a look at how to boost your online reputation:
1. Consumer Reviews
Nearly every consumer is going to read reviews. Not many leave them though. Unfortunately, it’s usually those who had a poor experience who leave the reviews, whereas happy customers just “forget” to provide feedback. If you make the review process proactive and rewarding, consumers will want to help out.
Second, you want that positive review—so don’t just idly stand by waiting for it. Every customer wants to transform, in a sense. Don’t just sell them a product, sell them something that fits into their story. Be a part of the process, and they will be that much more excited.
Lastly, respond to every single review you receive. Good or bad. Acknowledge the good reviews. Don’t be reactionary when there’s a bad one. Be open and conciliatory. Offer to correct the problem if possible.
2. Trustworthy Team
Whether you are alone in this endeavour or have others working with you, you need trustworthy people on your side. Every person you have supporting your image and brand is a salesperson, regardless of their title. Therefore, employees and team members need a firm understanding of the sale process and how to appeal to customers. If their name shows up in a review (good or bad), show them. Furthermore, inspire, motivate, incentivize, and reward employees throughout the entire sales process.
Happy employees reflect onto the customers, after all.
3. Social Media
Though it’s not a foolproof way to gain more online reputation, setting up social media profiles does help. For example, if you have a customer or potential partnership looking into your products, they may check out pictures on Instagram, read your resume on LinkedIn, or see if you Tweet interesting things. You can tap into a huge audience (and potential base of customers) just by simply having a social media bar on your website. However, you will need to update these pages regularly.
4. Networking
Connect with other people in your industry to help create a basis of authority. This can be achieved through attending workshops, trade shows, industry functions and Meetups. Even if it is sometimes uncomfortable connecting with the competition, others may have been in business longer and know how to create products that sell, how to market content, and how to engage the audience. Learn from them as much as possible.
5. Do What You Say You’ll Do
One way to make your online reputation go to the dark side is to not perform as promised. If you sell something, you have to live up to promise of satisfaction from the moment the order is placed to when it is shipped and finally received. If you promise engaging content, it better be engaging. In short, stay true to your purpose.
Final Thoughts
The internet is a wonderful tool that can help you engage with more clients around the world. However, just as first impressions in real life are important, so too is how you look on the internet. Stay true to your purpose, use social media to your advantage, and network with everyone—from competition to the customer—and your online reputation will soar.
