Any business owner worth their salt will tell you how important it is to foster a positive reputation among local consumers. A poor reputation will hurt your ability to attract new customers around your location and could cause you to lose your existing customers – especially in this day and age, where word of mouth travels at lightning speed across the Internet.

Because of this, it’s important to monitor your company’s reputation online so that you can manage negative criticism. The following are a few important tips to keep in mind when managing your reputation online:

Monitor online reviews

Every once in a while, search for reviews on your company. If you see any negative reviews, post a reply. Always be sympathetic to the user who left the review. For example, say a customer leaves a bad review on your restaurant because they didn’t enjoy the food. Apologize and offer a free meal the next time they come in (or some other incentive to return).

Not only will the customer feel like you care about their experience, but other customers will see that you take great care to ensure a positive experience with your company, which will bolster your reputation. Some customers may even change their negative review to a positive one as a result.

Monitor social media comments

Most social media pages allow you to search for mentions of your brand. This is a good way to see what people are saying about you. However, because negative comments are posted in public for all to see, it’s important that you engage in a smart way. The following are a few tips for engaging with negative social media comments:

• Always engage – Don’t just ignore the post or try to delete it. Others will see what you’ve done and will begin bringing it up, which will turn the whole thing into a bigger mess than it was before.
• Don’t be negative – Don’t get into a war of words with the person who left the comment even if its obvious the person is trying to get a rise with you. A negative reaction will reflect badly on your company.
• Apologize and offer to help – Apologize to the user for their experience and offer to make things right in a non-public forum.

Use these tips to monitor and manage your reputation online. For additional online marketing advice, visit us at Fasturtle today.