The perception of the online user about your company directly influences the possibilities of purchase. This vision is what is known as online reputation and is created in multiple ways: from the creation of corporate content, to reviews of clients or ratings that they give to your product or service on the internet.
Why should you monitor your brand on the Internet?
Retaining users, converting potential customers and being “pampered” by Google are some of the main benefits of manage online reputation of your business. Did you know that 90% of Internet users go no further than the first page of Google when searching for a product or service? This means that appearing at the top of the search engine, organically, gives you great visibility and authority in the sector.
Having a good online presence starts with the design of your website and every time you upload content. It is important to know the rules of the SEObe very scrupulous with the quality of the texts, images and videos, as well as the frequency with which you update it.
Imagine you go to a restaurant And, before ordering the menu, you pay attention to the details: decoration, atmosphere, friendliness of the waiters… Perhaps the food is the most important thing, but isn’t that first impression the key to making you feel comfortable?
How to establish your brand
As we have said, online reputation is made up of a series of elements that represent the image or prestige of a business, brand or person. Some of it can be controlled by the company and some of it cannot, as it depends on the customers’ experience with the company. To better understand this concept, we divide the factors that affect online reputation into two:
- external: would be the negative and positive comments published by users, what the media say, the community where the business is developed… in short, all those aspects that are out of your reach.
- internal: the company website, publications, and all the marketing actions that a brand generates to make itself known. In this case, the control is yours.
How to manage your company’s online reputation
At this point, you can imagine that making a brand tracking It is vital in a society as digitized as the current one. If you don’t know how to approach this strategy, we give you some ideas.
- Develop a diversified online presence
Just as investment experts advise “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”, limiting the online presence of your brand to a couple of media is not recommended at all. One of the main reasons is that you are leaving off your radar all those who, being potential customers, do not use that channel.
Therefore, choosing several channels and adapting our message to each of them will make our campaigns more effective, reaching more people and strengthening our online presence.
- Manage your individual online presence
Imagine your brand as if it were a person. What networks would you be on? what would your image be? who would you associate with? what language would you use? Answering all of these questions will be the basis for your development strategy. Company profile, that will build your online reputation.
- Claim your business profile in local search directories
Have a presence in local search directories It is interesting for small businesses or local businesses. For this reason, there are more and more neighborhood and local platforms where information about products and services is shared and that cause a high percentage of sales. It’s something like the word of mouth of yesteryear, when the internet did not exist.
If your company is not in this circle, you do not exist for most people. Therefore it is necessary that you make a list with the main directories in your area and contact them to include your services.
- Claim your profile on rating and review sites
The same thing that we have indicated in the previous point but, this time, regarding platforms of reviews Y ratingsas is the case with TripAdvisor. Our company cannot be invisible in places that everyone visits, especially if your business is a restaurant or hotel. Manage your entry on these websites as soon as possible.
How to track your brand online
Once we have established a reputation strategy for our company, the second most important step is to follow up on the actions we have taken and the feedback of the users. This point is delicate because we are not always going to find good reviews, and it is important to know how to deal with dissatisfied customers, trolls several and other characters that populate the internet. What are the key points?
- Encourage direct contact with your customers. Whenever possible, talk directly to your customers. They will greatly appreciate being heard and you can avoid a negative review due to a misunderstanding. In addition, you will receive very valuable feedback without having to expose yourself publicly. In the same way, if you see that your client is right and you reward him, you will surely be able to “turn the tables” and, what would have been a negative evaluation that affected your reputation, could become the opposite.
- Respond quickly to negative comments. One of the things that gives the worst image is a negative comment without answering. It’s hard and difficult to deal with criticism, especially if it seems unfair, but it’s best to respond courteously and politely to dissatisfied users. Do not fall for their provocations, since it will only encourage them to continue disqualifying and, in addition, it can be seen by other users as unprofessional. Start with a phrase “We are sorry that you are unhappy with us.…” for then interesting for your reasons is a good idea. If you are able to succeed, you will be able to add extra prestige and recognition to your business.
- Track mentions of your brand online. Make a clipping Daily or weekly information about the mentions made of your brand on the Internet will allow you to keep track of your brand up to date. In this way, users will see you as a dynamic company that cares about its products and services, as well as its customers.
