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What is Your “Online Reputation” – and Why Is It So Important?

A business’ online reputation is in fact their first, and biggest, concern.

Why increase visibility in search engines in order to get more leads, if you have negative comments/reviews about your business that color a prospective customer’s perspective of your business before you even get a chance to build a relationship with them and convert them to a customer?

Or, just as worse, why spend thousands to gain greater visibility in search engines if you have no comments/reviews about your business and so your competition is able to control the online conversation for your market as defined by search keywords?

As you can see, managing your online reputation or “Reputation Management” is your first priority.

The scope of “Reputation Management” defined in this manner is much larger than just reviews. In fact, studies show that it includes the following factors:

  • Visibility: Are you easily found in search engines, including Google, Bing and Yahoo as well as local search such as Google Plus and Yahoo Local for the keywords your ideal customers are searching for? Is your business accurately listed in Review sites and Business directories? Is your business accurately listed in hundreds of these directories to maximize your online visibility and authority and standing with the search engines?
  • Reviews: After making sure your business is accurately listed (business name, address, phone and website as shown EXACTLY on your website) in as many review sites as possible, are you monitoring your reviews 24/7/365 for both positive and negative comments and engaging with the reviewers, especially if they leave a negative comment? Do you have a thoughtful, effective customer reviews program in place to motivate customers to leave positive reviews to make sure you can compete with your competition and establish a balance in case of any negative reviews in the future?
  • Mentions: Do you have an effective program in place to generate a consistent stream of social media posts, images, news releases, videos and articles about your business? If not, you will not be able to dominate the conversation about your line of business in your market, nor will you be able to control the conversation about your business – and thus your reputation.
  • Social Media: Are you engaging with your customers and prospects – building an online relationship with them? If you fail to socialize with them and your competitor does – where will that leave you? It will leave your competitor with the ability to define the market, control the “frame of reference” for the discussion regarding the services you provide and ultimately control the frame for reference for the discussion about your business. If your competitor defines the decision parameters for your prospects and customers – ho will you compete if they favor the competition?
  • Share of Voice: Which of the businesses you compete with online will dominate the market and attract the most new customers? The competitor who commands the largest “share of voice,” or the one who has the most visibility, most positive reviews, mots news releases, image posts, video posts, articles and greatest social media engagement and activity on the search engine results pages for the keywords used by the largest number of buyers of your product or service. Will that be you?

And this is only the first step in Reputation Marketing.  We are the only firm in the market that offers a monitoring and management service that covers all of these facets of building a strong and commanding 5 star online reputation. Contact us for more information and a free reputation analysis today.

Posted in: Reputation Marketing

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