Chances are if you are looking to find out if you need reputation management or not, you probably do. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Not all cases of reputation management are negative. Sometimes, customers simply need to get their business ranking on search engines.
Long story, short, reputation management is about getting the best bang for your buck. You, no doubt, spend a lot of money on your advertising and marketing budget. You want to make sure that every dollar that you are spending is receiving the maximum exposure that it possibly can. Advertising and marketing can be the most expensive part of doing business. As the saying goes, “you have to spend money to make money.” This is extremely evident when it comes time to manage your reputation.
However, if you still aren’t sure about whether or not you are in need of online reputation management, I have come up with a litmus test for you. Simply ask the following questions of your brand or business and you should be able to definitively tell the answer. So, without further delay, I am presenting you with how you can tell if your business needs reputation management.
Are You Ranking?
You may have all your ducks in a row. You have your website, social media, and review sites set up properly. That doesn’t mean anything unless they are ranking. The main reason why reputation management services, like ours, even exist is that many businesses realize they need it after it is way too late. They are at a point where they are not getting traffic and they are not getting a response at their storefront. The sad part is, they feel like they have done everything they could. The figure they are not in the right market for their business. They either up and move, or worse yet, shut down altogether. You have taken the first step into making your business work buy checking to see if there is anything else you can do. While there may not be much that you can do, internet reputation services can. Companies like ours know how to use the internet and social media to your advantage.
The reason that it is important to ask the question if you are ranking is that if you are not, then you will not be seen. The reason for this is that people rarely venture past the first page of Google. Depending on your business, you will see very few people clicking on page two. While there are still some that will click on page two, or even page three, they are few and far between. Therefore, it is our goal and should be yours as well, to make sure that you are on the first page of Google.
Do You Have Negative Search Results?
Many people are under the assumption that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” The theory goes, as long as they are talking about me, it is a good thing. We could bring several cases to the table as to why this is not the right way to think, but we are sure that you know most of them already. Suffice it to say, this myth, even if it was applicable at one time, is no longer the case. Besides, it is much easier to get negative attention than it was in the past.
Just as important as checking to see if there are negative search results is to check to make sure there are not negative auto-correct words. Just having these negative auto-correct words pop up may be enough for a person or company to not do business with you. All in all, negative search results and negative auto-correct words can be enough to deter anyone from even making it to the first page of Google. If they don’t make it to the first page, they can’t even see all the other information about you. Don’t wait until it is too late. Be proactive when it comes to your reputation. As soon as something happens, take swift and efficient action. This will allow you to get things corrected before they get out of control.
Does Your Business or Brand Have a Reputation Management Plan?
As with anything else in business, it is important to have a contingency plan. While we never want to think that something is going to go wrong, we must always expect that it will. A lot of optimists will tell you that you are thinking like a pessimist. The fact is, you are thinking like a realist. You are not thinking that things are going to go wrong, you are simply forward-thinking enough to know that everything can’t go right. There is going to be a time that you are going to have to deal with something negative. It is just part of doing business. This is not to say that it is going to be something that is known worldwide like Starbucks, McDonald’s, or Volvo. It simply means that you may have to deal with some negative attention. This can be on your Facebook page or a review site. Knowing what you are going to do is half the battle.
The internet is expanding on a daily basis. So, even if there are only a few review sites or social media sites that you could possibly have a customer saying something about you now, does not mean there are not going to be ten more in the next year. It is important that every time a new way to interact with your customers crops up, you are there. Knowing what people are saying about you is half the battle in making sure that they are only saying good things about you.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you are only here for information. However, if you are experiencing negative search results, we urge you to contact an online reputation management company. They are your best chance of coming through it unscathed. To know if you need reputation management simply review the questions above. If you aren’t ranking, if you do have negative reviews, or you don’t have a reputation management plan, then you are going to need to make sure that you have those bases covered.