Anything an individual or company does is highly visible and open to the public in the information age. Building an online reputation takes several years, but everything you worked for can be gone in just one minute. The amount of information accessible on the internet is staggering, and there is no practical way to manage it entirely. Both company owners and advertisers are grappling with this problem, and many fall prey to misconceptions that discourage them from finding an online reputation management agency’s help. In a time where your online reputation is precious and vital, you should be informed. Below, you will find several fallacies that many businesses and individuals believe. Under no circumstances should you think these are true.
Online Reputation is Not Controllable
While there is no way to stop individuals from leaving bad ratings and writing scathing reviews reacting to them promptly can mitigate the damage. A business or brand that rapidly responds to a customer’s concerns will do much better than a competitor that does nothing. You may have heard the adage that the customer is always right. Well, in this day and age, no more valid words have ever been spoken. If you don’t approach every business interaction with those words in mind, you may find yourself out of business.
No Reputation is Better than a Bad One
On the surface, this makes sense, but in fact, a lack of reviews and ratings can make a brand appear suspicious or not interested in consumer feedback. Consumers in the modern age offer a great deal of weight to peer feedback, and it makes people think twice about doing business with the company when there is a lack of reviews. Negativity can do harm, but it does mean that a company is legitimate. So, while it may be tempting to stay off the internet altogether, rest assured it will be the downfall of your company. Instead, actively seek out places that your company can promote itself. There are plenty of review sites that are talking about your company. Look for them and start interacting with your customers. After all, if you are not there to defend your name, you can rest assured no one else will.
A Plan Will Resolve the Problem
While it is nice to have a solid plan to deal with negative reviews, it has no value until it is put into effect. A more realistic strategy is to provide a regular schedule for managing the image of the company. This implies looking closely at the weak points of the company and immediately building on them. It is an excellent first step to select an online reputation management agency that is a good match for the business and its objectives. Of course, you could manage your reputation on your own, but why would you. Professionals are equipped with a network of connections that can boost your reputation seemingly overnight. While overnight might be a stretch, I have seen reputations turn around very quickly. It all depends on what kind of reputation you have to start with and how much leniency you provide me. The more restrictive you are on an agency, the less they can do for you. Naturally, the less they can do, the slower your reputation will improve.
Deleting Online Reviews Makes Negativity Disappear
This is the most common misconception. You will find several businesses that promise to delete the negative reviews. While this sounds good, it is nearly impossible. Once a person has decided to write a negative review, there is very little one can do to make them take it down. I have heard of several reputation management companies threatening legal action against the person who wrote the review. This is one way you can go about it, but I assure you it will not make your company look any better. Your best bet is to suppress the reviews. This can be done in several ways, but the most popular way is by having positive reviews overwhelm the negative. Mostly this is done by doing good business, and the bad reviews will slowly fade into the background.
Customer Service and Reputation Management are Different Things
These two items must work together in the digital marketplace for the best outcome. A lack of quality customer support causes the bulk of negative ratings and feedback. Moreover, if their needs are not met, people may edit their reviews to represent more negatively or believe their voice is not being heard. Management of credibility is often closely related to customer service. In short, when you find a negative review, it is in your best interest to deal with it and not ignore it. Customers that feel they are not being heard will go to several sites until you acknowledge them.
Reputation Management is a Hassle
It is true that it will take a great deal of time to respond to every single comment, but technical advancements enable brands to tackle feedback via a central dashboard. Furthermore, some management platforms send out updates the minute something about the brand is released. This helps a business to react quickly to something negative and instantly attempt to put things right. Don’t worry about the time you spend responding to your customers. It is time well spent.
People Will Not Write Reviews
While many people do not like to write reviews, asking for feedback, particularly after a good interaction, is helpful. The introduction of the internet has made it very easy for businesses to contact their customers. When a brand wants to recover its consumers’ confidence, even one useful review will make a difference.
Conclusion
Online reputation management can be a little tricky, but it is more than worth it in the long run. Take the time to interact with your customers. They are the only thing that is keeping your business afloat. Don’t wait for negative reviews to hit the internet before you decide to do the right thing. Additionally, if you do get bad press, make sure you take it to a reputation management company right away. They will be able to help you recover faster than you doing it by yourself.