These days, your brand’s reputation is more than just what the locals are saying about you. Because of technology, your online reputation is now also a factor. If you want your business to be successful, it is imperative that you monitor and protect your online reputation.
Information travels fast on the Internet. One bad review or one viral video can make or break your business. This is why it is really important to always keep an eye on what people are saying about your brand online.
Here are some steps to help you monitor your brand’s reputation on the web:
1. Be on the lookout for mentions.
In an age where everyone is obsessed with sharing, it is not uncommon for customers to mention you online. There could also be blogs and other businesses that feature or mention you.
To easily keep track of this, sign up for Google Alerts. This free tool makes the task a lot easier to watch out for brand mentions and pretty much anything else that you want to track.
A little trick when using this tool is to be specific about what you are searching. Use quotes around the phrase that you want to prevent unrelated results and further specify what you need through the ‘Show options’ dropdown menu.
2. Be active on your socials.
Social media presence is extremely important. It is not enough to just create an account, you must also be actively posting and monitoring your accounts. Some of the most popular social media platforms being used for marketing today include Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Build your social media power through these channels and your brand’s influence will drastically improve.
When managing your social accounts, make sure to post relevant information regularly. The worst thing you can do is setup an account and abandon it. This can only harm your brand and make you look untrustworthy. Also, don’t forget to engage your audience. Talk to them, reply to their questions and make it a fun space for your customers.
3. Keep an eye out on your top review sites.
Social media presence plays an important factor in your brand’s power and so does reviews. Your top review sites, like Yelp, are essential to your brand’s online reputation. Think about what your top review sites are and focus on those.
You can also setup a notification alert when someone makes a new review. This way, you will be up-to-date on what people are saying.
4. Fix negative mentions as much as you can.
Sometimes, people might leave negative reviews or mentions that may disparage your brand or affect your business. This is normal in every industry and we can’t really stop people from voicing out their opinions.
Once you find negative mentions and reviews, fix them as soon as you can. Customer service should go beyond just serving your customer your product. It should be about ultimate satisfaction.
One helpful tool for this is Go Fish Digital’s Complaint Search. You can also use Google for this kind of search.
5. Be vigilant.
Your business might have business hours but the Internet never sleeps! This will go on 24 hours, 7 days a week and if you want to always be updated, you must remain vigilant all the time. Thankfully, there are digital tools to help you watch from your phone or laptop. Subscribing to these alerts will keep you informed when necessary so you can also focus on other important things.
