When it comes to your reputation, you can’t really afford to passively sit back and let it take shape without your guidance. That can lead to a less positive reputation than you can afford, which takes far longer to rebuild. The better route to go is to take steps to gain control over your reputation as a business.
Manage Reviews
Does your business have reviews? Do you know what they say? If the answer to either question is “no”, you have some work to do. Reviews can impact everything from your search engine ranking to your reputation. You’ll likely have a mix of positive and negative reviews. Avoid the temptation to delete negative reviews. Apart from some platforms not allowing it, that can reflect poorly on you as a business and make it look like you’re trying to hide something. Instead, take the time to respond to reviews, both good and bad.
Focus Locally
As a small business, there’s a good chance that a lot of your business comes from your local area. As such, the impression your local community has about your business will have a significant impact on your reputation. Local marketing can help you take control over your reputation by influencing that impression. Getting a grasp on local SEO is vital to your marketing strategy. You can also work to build positive relationships with those in your community by participating in service projects, sponsoring activities, and finding ways to give back to your community.
Monitor Consumer Chatter
Customers talk. Around 7 out of 10 consumers write reviews about their experience with businesses. Consumer chatter goes beyond just reviews though. They talk on social media and may even write articles about your business. Depending on how well the site the article is on is optimized, that could potentially impact how your business ranks on search engines. Make sure you monitor consumer chatter so you can keep tabs on what people are saying. If you don’t like what you’re hearing, make improvements to your business and make some noise about them. That can help you make positive contributions to the conversation.
Taking control of your reputation is a smart move to make. You can gain control by managing your reviews, focusing on local marketing, and keeping tabs on consumer chatter. This will help you understand how your reputation is developing so you can take action to guide it in the direction you want to go.
Let us help you with your reputation by helping you to create a marketing plan! Schedule a free evaluation with us to get started.
