Manage Your Small Business Online Reputation

For individuals, what other people say may not matter; but for small businesses, what people say could make or break them.  

Picture this: A prospective customer heard about a newly established business and the product that it offers from a family friend’s recommendation. However, that does not convince the prospective customer to make a purchase yet. To gather more information about the business, the prospective buyer decided to go to Google, typed the business’s name into the search bar, pressed the search button, and waited for the search results. Upon the first page of Google results, the prospective customer saw this negative review from long ago. This particular piece of information would then prompt the prospective customer to hesitate in purchasing the recommended product.  

A clueless business owner would probably panic in this kind of situation. However, a prepared business owner would have prevented it from happening in the first place, and that will be through Online Reputation Management.  

What managing online reputation means for a small business?  

An online reputation comprises the sum of opinions that a small business has generated from its customers. It is the general perception of a small business that staples its credibility and trustworthiness. With the web providing an array of channels that allows customer opinions to be public, it is easy for small business owners to keep an eye on the conversations that involve their business. At the same time, it would be a challenge for small business owners to control the amount and type of information available in public.   

Small business owners should keep in mind that everything they do or post online contributes to their digital footprint, which can become permanent and has a lasting effect on their online reputation. This could be in the form of an ignored complaint or lack of content which could hinder a customer from fully trusting a small business.  

How does Online Management work?  

Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the utilization of online content. It manages various content by making it more prominent on the search engine results to improve how the business looks online. The content may range from ratings, rankings, search profiles, social media, and websites, either from the business or third parties.  

For instance, an article listed a small business as one of the top start-ups for the year. ORM will then place that online mention on the first page of Google results and the other contents, such as the business profile and its social media sites. This will help reinforce the good reputation of the business.  

 Through ORM, the search results of a business are maintained, and the first thing that a customer will see once they Google the business is the high-quality content, up-to-date and factual. This will help avoid outdated and inaccurate information that might surface once a prospective customer searches for a business. It will also help ensure that a business will maintain its presence within the online community.  

The Best Practices  

Building and managing a positive online reputation is a long process. Results of it would not be seen overnight. The reward, however, is worth every effort. Here are some practical ways for small businesses to build their online reputation.  

• Monitoring web results 

Small business owners should start by searching their business on Google. Assess what kind of results are displayed on the first page and check whether the information provided regarding the business is factual and up-to-date.  

• Build digital assets 

A dilemma for most small businesses is that there is not much online content about them as they are newly established. Nonetheless, this could be a vantage point for them to control the search results right from the start. Think of it as a blank canvass, and the small business has the freedom to fill it with their desired content and prevent any negative content from being displayed. This could be done by filling the first page with at least ten digital assets that may come in the form of a user-friendly website, blog, and social media page. Other features may be displayed from third-party content such as Wikipedia, online review sites, videos, images, and articles.  

• Be active and consistent. 

Do not be under the impression that once the first page of Google results is arranged, the work is done. ORM is a continuous process; the content generation and online monitoring should be as well. Write captivating content as content marketing is an ideal way to generate new leads. Be active on social media by monitoring customer feedback and creating engaging posts.  

• Communicate 

As previously tackled in an article about online reviews, communication is the key to a significant relationship between a business and its customer. Always reply to a customer’s review, whether it is positive or negative.  

• Share 

Celebrate even the most minor achievements by sharing them. If a small business gets mentioned on a positive note in articles or news outlets, this is worth sharing and would undoubtedly build customer trust.  

In Conclusion  

Newly established and small businesses should invest in building their online reputation to help them in the long run. Yes, it takes time, energy, resources, but it is rewarding and vital for a business to thrive. As it can be taxing, small business owners should realize that they can partner with people who specialize in ORM, and Streamsoft Consulting Inc. is a great example. The team at Streamsoft is adept with reputation management and is familiar with the effective ways on how to build a positive online reputation. From website design to content generation, social media marketing, and even search engine optimization (SEO). Streamsoft will work closely with small business owners for them to be able to translate how the business wants to be perceived by their customers. With Streamsoft, small business owners are entirely in control of their online reputation.