What it is, why it’s important, and what you can do to keep track of it.
In the modern marketplace, consumers have a vast array of places to take their business. Whether they’re looking for a place to shop, looking to order products online, or seeking out services they need, the internet provides a sea of options for them to consider. They need to find which is best for them, and one of the most important criteria they use to make this decision is your business’s digital reputation. In this week’s blog, we’ll give you a breakdown of what makes up your digital reputation and how you can go about making sure your customers have every opportunity to see the best in your business.
What is reputation management?
You already know how important it is to have a good reputation – the more people love your business, the more people they’ll tell about it and the more customers you’ll have. There’s nothing more telling about businesses than their good (or bad) reputations!
Your reputation doesn’t just stop in people’s minds and word-of-mouth; it also spreads into the digital world. Reputation management, in short, is influencing how people think of a brand, business, or idea.
How do I manage my digital reputation?
Unlike word-of-mouth, your digital reputation reaches far and wide over many different platforms. Some of the most frequent stops for visitors who will build up a perception of your brand are:
- Websites
- Social Media Platforms
- Search Engines
- Online Reviews
Your website needs to be working at peak performance. As the digital storefront of your business, it’s one of the first things a potential customer will see, and it’s by far one of the most important. You wouldn’t ever let your customers walk into a messy, unprofessional store or office, so why have them see anything less than perfection when visiting online?
Social media is another place people oftentimes go to get an idea of who a business is. Nearly 80 percent of small businesses use social media to promote their products and services, and with 70 percent of all Americans active on social media, your content is likely to be seen and have an influence on prospective customers.
Search engines are tools (like Google, or Bing) that people use to search the internet for what they’re looking for. When they look up a product, industry, or question related to your business, they’ll see the list of websites Google found to match their search. It’s critical to be near the top of that list – well over 90% of all internet users look to only the first page of results on Google. You can read our blog that goes more in-depth about optimizing your site for search engines here!
Online reviews are the new word-of-mouth referrals. According to Oberlo, nearly 4 in 5 people trust digital reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family, and almost 90 percent of consumers say they try to take reviews into consideration when making purchases. With dozens of sites that post online reviews, it has never been more important to monitor your reviews and encourage satisfied customers to leave their own positive appraisals!
We know it seems like a lot to cover, but with most of these touchpoints only a click or two away from every customer, it’s highly likely people will seek out at least one (or a combination) of these digital reflections of your business. Do your due diligence, and be sure people are seeing what you want them to see about your business – your reputation depends on it.
Baer Performance Marketing has years of experience in all of these facets of reputation management and offers an array of full-service marketing solutions. When your reputation is at stake, don’t leave anything to chance. Get in touch with us today and see what BPM can do to boost your business!
