For most businesses, online reputation management (ORM) is an essential component of their marketing strategy. People are more likely to buy from a company they know and trust, so it’s important to have your best foot forward when it comes to how customers perceive you. Today, we’ll be covering seven tips for doing just that – with the understanding that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. We hope this advice helps!
1)Social Media Monitoring
A social media monitoring tool helps you keep an eye on what people are saying about your company, and can help you identify any urgent issues. There’s a range of social media monitoring tools out there, such as Trackur and Google Alerts. You could also set up a Facebook business page or Twitter account for your brand, which will allow you to respond publicly to customer service issues.
2) Reply Quickly to Negative Posts
If a customer has a negative experience with your company, they will likely leave a bad review. If you reply quickly and thoughtfully, however, you can turn that customer around. People appreciate service and it never hurts to be kind.
3) Engage in the Conversation
Get people talking about your brand by engaging in conversations with customers, clients, and even your social media followers. Think of it like word-of-mouth advertising but on a much larger scale. Keep track of any mentions of your brand online and reach out as necessary. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something.
4) Create Shareable Content
One of the easiest and fastest ways to spread positive word of mouth about your business is by creating shareable content. There are two types you should be aware of: native and earned. Native content is something that your business can directly create, like an infographic or a video series. Earned content refers to good things people say about you that aren’t from official social media channels. This can include sharing links on social media sites, including branded hashtags and mentioning you in stories they post online.
5) Respond Strategically with Humor or Empathy
Engaging with someone online is often a matter of deciding whether to respond with humor or empathy. If someone posts a serious complaint about your company, for instance, you can respond by agreeing that something went wrong and promising it won’t happen again. Or you could acknowledge how irritated they must feel, suggest that their frustration makes sense given what happened, and reassure them that things will get better in time.
6) Be Truthful and Honest About Mistakes
If you’ve made mistakes, like anyone else, be truthful about them. If your company has failed at a product or service, be honest about why it happened and how you can fix it. People appreciate candor; try taking responsibility for your failures rather than blaming outside forces. Customers want to do business with someone they can trust! This is also a great way to learn valuable lessons that will help you do better in future endeavors.
7) Learn from Negative Reviews
Though they can sting, negative reviews are useful. Take them as opportunities to learn and improve your company’s reputation. Look over any reviews that have received a lot of likes or have been shared in order to identify major pain points in your customer service experience. Then, use that information to resolve these issues with customers and prevent similar problems from arising again in future. It may take time, but you can use these negative reviews as stepping stones toward improvement—so don’t panic!