Reputation management is without a doubt a viable tactic of digital marketing. As we move closer to a primarily digital society, marketing will follow suite. Many businesses today are taking advantage of all the things reputation management offers. However, there are still some mistakes being made. This is understandable as reputation management still has some kinks haven’t been worked out yet. To ensure that your reputation management efforts are the best that they can be, we’ve put together a list of 5 reputation management mistakes to avoid when running a campaign.
1. Your Reputation will Handle Itself
This is the most common mistake that most businesses make. Just because your business’s reviews and ratings are positive, doesn’t mean that they will always stay that way. It can be made even more drastic if your business and brand has an exceptionally low web presence. Your online reputation can change in an instant. The more you put into reputation management, the more control you have over the online perception you cast on consumers. Reputation management is vital to protecting your business from the harmful effects if negative reviews, complaints, etc.
2. Personal Opinion
One of the worst mistakes a business can make in reputation management is getting too personal and letting your emotions dictate your responses. It can be an easy mistake to make as the balance between relatability and professionalism is a fine line to walk on the internet. A good rule of thumb is to not discuss religion, politics, or any other controversial issues on your business’ online platforms. This can turn off potential and existing customers to your business and you definitely don’t want that. Instead, try to keep a neutral tone, since the goal of your social media efforts is to appeal to everyone.
3. Ignoring or Responding to Negative Reviews Aggressively
Negative feedback can be painful to hear, but in tandem with the previous point, you need to be able to keep your emotions in check and display a level of objectivity and neutrality when responding to negative reviews. Keep a calm and cool head when responding to these negative reviews and comments. Address their complaints, acknowledge them and see how you can make their situation better or explain how you will learn and grow from this experience.
You also don’t want to ignore the negative feedback. Ignoring it can make things escalate quickly. Customers may think that you’re not taking their issue seriously, and
can stir up trouble on all kinds of platforms, which can get out of hand fairly quickly. Reply in a timely manner and attempt to alleviate their concerns as soon as you are able
to.
4. Posting Fake Reviews
Another mistake is to post fake positive reviews on your Google Listing. Google has algorithms in place to help spot these false reviews. Instead of trying to hastily
boost your business’ reviews, focus on delivering high quality product and services to generate these authentic reviews. Furthermore, on social media, you can run review campaigns that incentivize customers leaving reviews in exchange for a discount or offer of some kind. Genuine and authentic reviews may take a while to accumulate, but they pay off in the long run.
5. Inconsistency
In order to cultivate your online reputation, you need to display a level of consistency. Your social media fans followed your page because they expect regular posts with
interesting content. You don’t want to be the business that is consistent for a while, with up to ten posts a day, and then have complete social media silence for several months.
This cycle of on again-off again is a perfect example of bad consistency and it’s one that is all too common. Don’t disappear for days or weeks at a time. Instead, try to create a routine posting schedule and stick to it. Furthermore, interact with your audience on a regular basis. A high level of consistency will do wonders for your business’ reputation. The more customers become invested in your business and brand, the more likely they are to leave reviews, spread the word about you, and more.
Reputation management can be extremely beneficial to your business’ overall success. There are some mistakes that can be made when running your reputation management campaign, but that’s okay. Hopefully, this blog can help you to avoid some of these pitfalls and start your campaign off on the right foot.
