Reputation is arguably the most crucial element of a company’s success. The tricky part of a business’ reputation does not only depend on what you do or say about your company. What others say about you and your business also has an equal impact on its reputation. Thus, maintaining your reputation online becomes an essential aspect of running a successful business.
Features like automation, real-time and sharing on the web provide people with opportunities to affect a company’s reputation regardless of how solid it is. This makes it extremely important for every business to monitor their online reputation regularly. There are many ways in which you can monitor and protect your online presence. Here is a list of few of them:
#1 Monitor All Review Sites
Checking review sites like Yelp is one of the simplest ways to monitor your online reputation. Some online directories allow people to add listings. It means that even if you haven’t listed your business, there is a chance that it might be there. It is essential to monitor these sites and claim your listings whenever possible. Don’t panic if you happen to come across a negative review. As long as you respond appropriately, you will be looked upon as a credible company that’s serious about its business.
#2 Set Up Google Alerts
Setting up Google alerts is another way to monitor your online reputation. Whenever any content is published online containing the keywords that you have chosen, Google will notify you. You can set up alerts either for your name, your company’s name or even common misspellings of your business name.
This allows you to keep tabs on what people are saying about your business. You can fix negative reviews by resolving customer issues and addressing complaints. You can also create an alert for your competitor’s names. This will help you keep tabs on them and also see what people are saying about them.
#3 Monitor All Your Social Media Accounts
Monitoring your social media accounts is crucial for maintaining your online reputation. Although you might not be posting content every day, checking your account to support engagement is necessary. Just like you do with online reviews, it is vital to respond to both positive and negative comments. You can set setup mobile or email notifications, which will alert you when any posts are published.
#4 Monitor Other Social Media Accounts As Well
While monitoring your social media accounts is essential, it is also necessary to keep tabs on mentions of your handles and custom hashtags. This lets you know whether your customers are using them often or not. It also allows you to see whether you hashtag is overlapping some else’s.
#5 Monitor Your Blog
Engaging in the comment section of your business blog is the perfect way to learn about your audience and help you get new ideas for posts. However, this does have its downside as it puts you at risk for spam and negative comments.
Spam comments will always shed a negative light on your business. If you don’t address them, that will only diminish the genuineness of your blog. It indicates to your visitors that you rarely check your blog which will discourage non-spammers from posting comments.
#6 Verify Your Partners
Partnering with another business is a great way to increase exposure, cut costs and cross-promote. However, it is essential to check the online reputation of the company before you agree to be partners. If you find negative reviews of the business, it doesn’t mean that you have to look for a new partner.
The point of verifying is to be aware of the consequences of partnering with a company that has a questionable online reputation. If your business is repairing itself from a setback, it might not be the best option for you to partner with a company that’s going through the same issue.
#7 Ask Customers
Your social media followers and customers can also help you monitor your online reputation. It is important not to shy from conducting surveys of what your customers experience of your website is. This gives you a better understanding of what to improve. Just keep your surveys short and crisp, and you will be fine.
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