Online Reputation
Online reputation: What is it?
The WORLD WIDE WEB is exactly that….all over the world! So ANYBODY can write ANYTHING about your company! One bad review on a restaurant on Yelp, could drive away hundreds of potential customers. One poor customer relation problem that is shouted out online, could create massive blows to growing your company. Ninety percent of customers say their buying is influenced by online reviews (Huffington Post)….NINETY!!
Consumers trust actual experiences by their family, friends, co-workers, etc. for making an online Amazon purchase, deciding what landscaper to use, or even which car to buy. Everyone wants to protect their purchases, and trusting someone that has already experienced the same thing is very comforting. Did you know that 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from real people (Search Engine Land)?
Consumers and potential clients read reviews and this makes your online reputation very important for your business. So how do you find out what’s being said about your company online?
The easiest way to find out about what is on the web about your company: GOOGLE IT! Pop your name into the search bar and see what comes up! Hopefully you have already established a great Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If your SEO is weak, we highly recommend hiring Red Technologies to get your name (and website) to the top, in a GOOD way! After you see your website (that is hopefully at the top), scroll down, and click through the lower listed places that your name comes up and see what is being said!
There is also email you can sign up for that will alert you when your company is being written about online. Google alerts and Naymz are two great FREE services that can help you.
Another great way (and probably the most important for several reasons) to track what is being said about you is stay active and alert on social media sites.
If you have a business, it is your responsibility to be socially “ONLINE”. It’s no longer an option to not be on Facebook, or to be too scared to learn about Instagram, or whatever the “kids” are into. Take the time to learn and be aware! Remaining “social” on the social media sites is going to be as important to your business as that personal recommendation that 72% of consumers are trusting to make their next purchase. If you need help with this….call us!
This is what online reputation is and where and how you can find your company online. Our next blog will focus on what to do to manage and protect what is being said!
