There’s no argument that a good online reputation is important. It can take a new business months or even years to develop the reputation they want, but that dream business reputation can be ruined very quickly if it is not carefully nurtured and maintained.
The reality is, your reputation represents your business’s potential. Not only will a good reputation help result in increased brand recognition and more traffic to your website, but you will also enjoy more overall profits. This actually creates a positive cycle that continues – as long as your reputation remains stellar.
Managing Your Reputation
There are lots of ways to monitor your online reputation and to maintain or massage it. For instance, it is very important to always be aware of what information is available about you and your business online. It is also vital that customer feedback and reviews are responded to as soon as possible.
In essence, the goal is to manage the way your business is being perceived by others. This is not exactly an easy task. It requires SEO efforts as well as excellent customer support relations. Having quality products and services is also required!
The popularity of social networking sites cannot be ignored as platforms for managing online reputations. In fact, these are often places where customer feedback is found. With that in mind, business owners must have profiles at social media networks, and they should visit the sites regularly to monitor content that mentions the business and/or products.
About Facebook
Facebook can be an awesome tool for marketing and for reputation management purposes. This site has the power to boost a business’s customer interaction, and it provides an easy way to gather information about a given audience.
If a business is savvy in its Facebook interactions, it can definitely use the platform to enhance its online reputation.
On Facebook, Keep Personal Things Private
One of the worst mistakes that can be made with Facebook is sharing too much. Private and personal things should be kept private and personal. Always think before you post. Keep things professional, or at the least, try to assure the content you add will not offend your audience. Also assure that your content will never come back to embarrass or harm you or your business in any way.
However, sharing information about the birth of a baby or the purchase of new home is something that most audiences can relate to in a positive. Just keep in mind that what you post represents and/or reflects on your business.
How Facebook Helps
Improved Customer Relations
When you/your business have a profile on Facebook, you become like everyone else there. People can identify with you on the same terms that they do everyone else on Facebook. Rather than seeing an entity or a “business,” you suddenly become a real person with emotions. You become someone other people can talk to and get to know. This is good for business.
Obviously, communication between you and your customers is improved. This is beneficial in a variety of ways. Not only does it help your online reputation, but it also gives you improved insight into your target audience.
Facebook Apps
Facebook offers numerous apps that can be enabled to make gathering information at the site easier. Whether your goal is to find customers or to find comments about your business, you can find applications that will be helpful. Finding and responding to online comments about your business is a very important part of reputation management.
More Traffic
The more you use Facebook, the more followers you will have. Just add updates to the site regularly. Your online reputation will be improved, and as more and more information is added to Facebook, you will continue to gain more facebook likes and followers. This will lead to more traffic at your business website and, ultimately, to more sales.
Managing your reputation is an ongoing task. You should develop strategies that include built-in reputation management processes. Using Facebook is a perfect example of this. Not only does the social network help you add customers, it also enhances your online reputation and much more.
If you’re not already using Facebook, now’s a perfect time to start. You can market your business and get to know your customers, all while improving your online reputation. That’s a big return on investment!
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Photo provided by: smartphotostock.com
Photo provided by: smartphotostock.com