Reputation management is a hot issue. There are a TON of consumer review sites out there. Adding positive customer reviews to each of them would be impossible (and unethical by some standards). So where do you start?
If you’ve ever considered online reputation management, you’ve probably asked yourself:“Is anyone even reading these posts?” According to a local study by Marketing Agency Bright Local – the answer is a resounding YES. Here are some facts to consider:
- ·79% of U.S. consumers have used the Internet to find a local business in the last 12 months
- ·50% of U.S. consumers are more likely to use a local business having read positive online reviews
- ·67% of U. S. consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
While word of mouth referrals from trusted friends will always count, more and more American consumers are using online communities to make purchasing decisions.
So where are your customers looking?
With the sheer volume of business and service review sites online, it’s hard to know what is important to your bottom line. These are a few of the more popular review sites your customers are visiting.
http://www.yelp.com/
local.yahoo.com/
http://www.insiderpages.com/
Then of course, www.google.com. A quick google search of your business name and business category will let you know what other review sites are popping up for your customers.
So what can I do?
Reputation management is a currently a very hot topic of debate because of ethics issues. It’s not just about hiding bad reviews. It is also about publicizing the good things you or your business does for your customers and controlling which reviews are found first.
Reviews and testimonials created for your own self-interest are often transparent (and can result in banning of your business profile in certain directories). Creating a business profile isn’t enough, though. You should invite your satisfied customers to share their positive experience with you immediately following their purchase – when your business is foremost in their mind. Keep reminding them any way you can – with a follow up phone call or email. And don’t forget to thank them when they do post a positive review. Let them know you noticed and that their input is valuable to the success of your business.
Search engines promote review sites in hopes of protecting the public , but unfortunately many of these sites are being abused and actually can inflict public relations damage on businesses that do not deserve it. Legal action is nearly always costly and, for the most part, ineffective in these situations. The major key for your business is managing where your customers are being directed through search engine optimization and maximizing your visibility on social networks.
