Increasing brand awareness & maintaining online reputation is known as Online Reputation Management. Often, companies are confused on what they should do to maintain their brand reputation online. Here are the top suggestions that a company should follow, if they have not taken the help of a professional for the same.
Communicate Clearly
Most of the problems related to Reputation Management begin when customers are not able to communicate with the company easily. Hence, a company should remain accessible to the customers and make efforts to take feedback. When a company is not available to their customers, they voice their opinion on social networking sites that create a domino effect, thereby spoiling the image of the company. To change this, a company should make the communication channels available on their site. The company should be available online, through emails, social networking sites and other forms of communication. Keep the channels open for all kinds of communication. This is the first step for effective Reputation Management. Customers are delighted that they can communicate without any barriers with their company.
Have an Effective Customer Support
The company should invest in different forms of communication for effective Reputation Management. All the channels of communication should unite and communicate the same message. If the two differ, then the customers will get the wrong message. It is time that even companies with limited budget invest in customer service. The internet has made it easier for customers to voice their opinion. If different channels of communication are not tapped at the right time, this might not have a good result. If the company does not have a huge budget, then even a simple suggestion box or a toll free number helps a lot.
Wait and Update
When faced with negative reviews, a company should review what went wrong. Try to resolve the issue if possible & communicate with the customer personally. Do not reply to the negative reviews immediately without understanding what went wrong. One should not wait for days but only a few hours before replying to the review. If the review is negative, the company should accept it. The next step should be that of assurance that the company will make efforts to right the wrong. This is one of the keys of effective Reputation Management. If possible, change the faulty product. The company can even ask the customer to try the product again and avail a discount too. These steps should not sound over the top but a genuine effort for the customer through Reputation Management.
Take Matters in Your Hands
One should not leave the Reputation Management on the internet to fate. It might bring the shutters down on the business. Companies can build credibility online through various means. One of the ways is to display genuine customer testimonials on the website and other social networking platforms. Such testimonials help build credibility of the site. Customers should be engaged and made feel special so that they can write reviews when satisfied.
Resolve Complaints
Companies should always make efforts to respond to customers. If the company officials are not able to respond immediately, they should mention a time when they will respond. This helps build a bridge between customers and company through Reputation Management.
