4 Reasons Why Online Reputation Management Is Critical

One of the greatest things about the digital age is that it has become easy for people to express their feedback and opinions online. This means greater exposure for businesses when happy customers share positive brand experiences with others on social media. While positive feedback can work wonders for the success and growth of your business, negative comments can cause severe damage. Online reputation management will help you monitor what your customers are saying about your business online.

According to a survey by BrightLocal, nearly 88 percent of customers read online reviews to determine the trustworthiness of a local business. With an increasing number of customers making purchasing decisions based on online reviews, a few negative reviews can have a substantial impact on business growth and customer retention.

It is estimated that businesses in the U.S. lose nearly $537 billion in revenue each year due to unhappy customers. Almost 80 percent of customers do not even consider buying from a business that has an unreliable reputation. There are many reasons to have a stellar online reputation for your business. Some of the important ones are:

1. Sales: Most customers research products and read online reviews before making their buying decision. If you are do not know what potential customers think of your services, you may miss out on the opportunity to meet their expectations and improve your services accordingly. Ignoring customers’ demands may lead to a decline in sales. Try to stay ahead of the game with effective brand-building and monitoring strategies.

2. Credibility: One of the key drivers for the success of your business is your customers’ trust. When many customers are raving about your service, your credibility is likely to go up. The more credible your business is, the more sales leads it will attract. In the online world, customer feedback tends to spread around quickly, and you would not want customers to talk about your services in a negative context.

3. Customer insights: The way you manage your online reputation allows you to learn from your customers to improve your reputation. Focusing on your customers will help you build a strong online reputation. By replying to unhappy customers, you will show that your brand is willing to invest the time and effort to address customers’ needs. Managing your online reputation through customer feedback will help you enhance your customer experience, improve your products and services and boost your sales.

4. Brand visibility: The more active you are online, the more potential customers will see you. Updated product information, current customer reviews, a responsive website and active social media accounts will strengthen your search engine ranking and visibility.  The more people see you, the more leads you will get.

For these reasons and more, it is important to pay attention to your online reputation management. Word travels fast on the Internet, and managing your online reputation is essential to maintaining a positive brand image and online visibility.