Find out why your company’s online reputation can often be more important than your business success and with both relying on each other, it pays to understand the importance of it.
As the internet has progressed over the last 20 years, it is important for all businesses to keep up to date with the transformation or face the consequences of being left behind. The one element that has maintained its importance is the fact that your online reputation is important and always will be.
Word of Mouth Recommendations Online
Your online reputation matters just as much as your offline reputation and the use of word of mouth can come into play through other elements. If your website is slow, your contact form doesn’t work and your logo is poor, this can almost work as a stop sign for potential customers trying to use your services in the future.
The new online version of word of mouth recommendations takes place in the form of reviews and customer feedback. As a potential customer, they will be on the lookout for signs of great customer service or poor services, to determine whether they will continue with your business or not. Just like word of mouth on the street, if your business has bad press online or poor customer reviews, you are showing future customers the weaknesses of your business.
You could be losing 90% of potential customers if you have bad reviews online, so do something about it pronto!
Use Your Online Tools
Managing your online reputation is very important to not only control the image of your business but also the future of your success. With a bad history and poor customer reviews, it can be more damaging than you ever imagined.
Using social media, engaging content, great website design and communication with your customers will encourage great reviews and therefore a great online image.
Managing Your Reputation
According to an infographic from Social Media Today, about 25% of a company’s market revenue comes from its online reputation and image that is portrayed. “Even if you don’t necessarily have an established online presence yourself, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have an online reputation”, Experian.
If you have spent years building up your business reputation, why would you let one bad customer experience ruin your hard work? With consumers trusting a business with reviews 12 times more than one without, it really pays to have real-time reviews rather than just product descriptions.
One example of a great online reputation is the huge giant Amazon. With consistency, vision and customer appeal, Amazon has targeted their customers with real reviews, product descriptions from the users and the trust that most consumers are looking for. “Amazon earned the highest overall ranking on the 2014 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient (RQ) study, which surveys 18,000 Americans to measure the reputations of the 60 most visible companies in the country”, Fast Company.
Tips to Boost Online Reputation
Here are some quick tips to follow from First Digital Media on how you can control, boost and manage your online business reputation.
- Make emotional appeal
- Follow financial performance
- Improve products and services
- Be social
- Have clear vision and leadership
- Boost your workplace environment
- Customer feedback needs to be a focus
Your business needs to be portrayed as reliable, trustworthy and successful in order to gain the reputation you deserve online. Don’t rely on offline word of mouth anymore and get the online boost your business needs from First Digital Media.
Get in Touch
If you are concerned about your business reputation and want professional assistance with boosting your online reputation, then give us a call on 01524 544346.
