Wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a world where businesses and people always got along? Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality we live in. We have to take extra measures to manage our online reputation. Even companies that do everything right can end up in the crossfires of a heated online debate about their brand. It’s impossible to keep every customer happy all the time, but there is a way to remedy the dissatisfactions of your customers. You have to be where they are, so that you can respond to their questions, concerns and negative comments. This can be time-consuming for many entrepreneurs and businesses, which is why they enlist the assistance of an SEO company.
Your online reputation management should look a little like this.
Monitoring Your Online Reputation
There are key places you want to monitor your reputation. Monitoring is all about searching for conversations throughout the Webosphere, which means utilizing Google and other platforms for your searches. Google alert is an excellent tool for keeping an eye on your brand in real time. You should set alerts for the names of your brand and products, including misspellings.
You can do the same for various social network platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter. Hootsuite allows you to easily monitor mentions of your brand and products.
If you write for your own blog or a third-party website, make sure to watch the comments and respond to them. Online reputation management is all about staying in conversations about your brand.
Last, you need to keep watch of reviews on sites like Google, Angie’s List, Yelp and Facebook. You can take all of the positive reviews you find and post them on your website to share with prospects.
Managing Negativity
This is when things can get a bit tricky. Your responses to negativity should be strategic in every way. You don’t want to get fired up about harsh comments. It’s important to always remain professional. An SEO Company can provide an objective stance in this matter. However, if you are the one managing it yourself, here are some tips:
- Outline a plan to deal with negative sentiment
- Never delete negative comments, unless they are vulgar or offensive
- Respond to comments quickly
- Admit to your mistakes and avoid making excuses
- Try to make it right
- Ignore trolls who are out to spread negativity just for the sake of getting a reaction
Your company should take online reputation management as seriously as it does its SEO efforts. Don’t be afraid to hire professional assistance if needed. The future of your business could depend on it!