Guest post by Dana Rasmussen
Starting a business of any kind is difficult, but what’s perhaps even more difficult is establishing a reputation, especially a good one, when the general public and target demographic are not fully aware of what you can do, who you are, what it means to them, etc.
So how does one establish a good reputation from the ground up? First, take a look at what makes up one’s background.
Thanks to the Internet, a reputation can be broadcast far and wide – great for businesses with a good one, but horrible for those with a bad (deserving of the status or not).
Take a look at some facts about how much the Internet, especially social media, plays a role in reputation management here.
As you can see by the link, 70% of people hear about a consumer’s experience online. Better hope that experience was a good one.
Check out These Tips to Bolster your Reputation:
- Use social media to be the voice of your brand. Accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other heavy-hitting social networking sites are the best free tools out there to get the voice of your brand heard.
- Ask customers to follow you on social networking sites. Provide links in e-newsletters, publications, on business cards, and even mention it to customers when possible. Engage with customers and start a dialog to help build your reputation The best thing about this conversation between customers and the brand itself is that they can act as ambassadors of the brand just from having a positive experience with your services or products.
- Realize that what people are saying about the brand will help ranking in Google search results.
- Designate a team to manage your social networking. It’s a fulltime job if done correctly and the message coming across needs to be cohesive at all times.
- Set up Google alerts to monitor your brand online. This service will send an email to a designated account each time the brand (or other keyword) is entered. It helps keeps track of what is or is not being said about a brand online.
Building a Reputation Takes Time
Going from no reputation to a good reputation takes time. Going from no reputation to a bad reputation can happen in an instant.
Be vigilant about what’s being said about your brand online. Make sure all interactions with customers are positive even when something goes wrong. Don’t be afraid to admit mistakes and remember the customer is always right.
Dana Rasmussen writes about various business trends and can be found on her Google+ profile.
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