Keeping a good reputation for your business is one of the most important things you can do for success. A good reputation is what is going to bring you business. Follow the tips below to build, maintain, and repair your reputation. Your business will last much longer if you do.
One of the primary ways you can manage your reputation is to claim your business brand online and take charge of the content about you. Use either KnowEm.com, UserNameCheck.com or NameChk.com to locate every online instance of your business name popping up. You only need to use one, but any of them can let you know if anyone out there is misrepresenting your business or speaking ill of you.
Make sure that at least several of your business web pages are optimized for your business name. You want Google to recognize your business homepage as the authoritative Internet site about your business. You want to have the number one search position for your business name, not number two or three behind a Wikipedia article or some blog. Make sure that your website is the first listing someone sees when they Google your brand.
One good way to improve the reputation of your company is by asking customers who are happy with your service or product to post positive reviews on your blog or website. You can also ask them to say something nice about your company on sites like Linkedln, Google Places or Yelp.
Post moderation guidelines on each of your websites and social media sites. By posting guidelines, your visitors will know what is and what is not acceptable responses on your website and social media sites. If someone posts something that is not within the guidelines, remove the post and give an explanation of why the post was removed.
If you make a public snafu, show the world that you are mature and apologize. Everyone makes mistakes, but it takes a big person to acknowledge that. If people see that you are truly apologetic for the wrongs you have done, it will make it more likely that they will work with you in the future.
To start your business reputation on the right foot, keep your branding simple. Use a clean typeface and color palette. Make sure your logo is simple and clearly communicates what you do and stand for. These items must be able to work on all your corporate materials. Try to avoid using complex and convoluted items in your branding.
Do not ask site owners to remove information about you just because it is a bit unflattering. People are entitled to their opinions and you don't want anyone to think that you believe the opposite. There is a chance that petitioning site owners to remove opinionated statements will backfire on you.
AS stated in the introduction, one of the best things you can do to guarantee success with your business is maintaining a good reputation. Keep your customers and clients happy and fix any issues immediately. Use the tips listed above to manage your reputation and enjoy a long time in business.