How many hours a day do you spend online? Add it up: Most people glance at their smartphone first thing in the morning; they spend a big part of their day at work in front of a screen and then surf around online after dinner and well into the evening. It really does add up, doesn’t it?
Millions of people scroll around and are your potential clients. More important than ever is your company’s online business reputation.
Keep in mind the following important tips to building the best possible reputation. Establishing a superior character and ethos for your company translates to successful business, and of course, if that reputation slides away, so does your business. Read on to ensure the best possible results:
Define it
What’s most important to you? What do you most want your online presence to convey about your company? Brainstorm. Talk. Meet with your team. Write. Figure that out, and then play to that strength. Focus on that strength. Manage that strength, and get people buzzing about what you do best. Catering to that result will push people to start buzzing about who to go to (you!) when they need your product or service.
Keep your eye on the ball. What’s most important to you?
Spread the word
Social media is here to stay. Facebook, Twitter, Trip Advisor – these are all free marketing tools that spread the word in a big way. These are also great spots where people post their reviews. You will boost those reviews and maintain their trust by delivering what you say you are going to deliver, and by gaining their loyalty. Treat them right, and they will rave about you.
Just a few rave reviews will yield strong results. In addition, getting people to “like,” “share,” or re-tweet your company message is key, and doing so can drive them right to your website. You’ll be amazed how your reputation can gain popularity through these quick and easy methods!
Search engine optimization (SEO) is key
Work hard to boost your website’s number of hits by striving for excellent target key words. There are lots of companies available to help with this task, and it’s a worthy investment. The higher the traffic, the higher the sales. Each and every one of these hits is an opportunity to see how you interact with your clients. Keep these communications upbeat and human! We all have enough automated systems in our ears when we make a call for customer service, right?
It will be refreshing for your customers to see that the team behind these interactions is real and that what they are doing matters to them. Trust that people will respond well to this style.
Click on it
Once folks get to your website, let them see that you have created a portal that your customers can click on to share their experiences. The people know best, and if they’ve had a great experience, many of them will take the thirty seconds to write a one- or two-liner about it. Encourage them to do so!
And if the occasional disgruntled client posts something? This is the perfect, public spot to make it right. Apologize if necessary. It’s just as important for a potential customer to see something great posted as it is to see a problem – and then to see that the problem was met with complete and satisfactory resolution.
Valerie Wilson is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about issues concerning the economy, business reputation, and education. She also enjoys teaching writing and business classes at Syracuse University.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com
