Today, consumers are incredibly smart. Once upon a time, companies had full control over their reputation, using simple advertising methods. Today, however, this is no longer the case. The greatest amount of advertising is done through word of mouth, and particularly social media and review websites. Hence, all businesses should team up with an online reputation management company in order to keep their reputation positive. Without it, they will lose customers and struggle to get new ones. So how does social media influence your reputation?
Facebook is a fantastic tool for businesses, because they can communicate directly with their customers through it. They can provide sales and specials, post interesting product videos, and share information about the company itself, for instance on how they give back to the community. You need to make sure that you constantly check your Facebook, as customers can also use it to leave reviews and ask questions. It is a known fact that if you ignore a customer, they are more likely to lose interest in you as well. Plus, if they leave a negative comment and you don’t respond, others will see that and lose trust in you.
Twitter is also a great tool for online reputation because it allows you to control a discussion. You can create a Tweet that is immediately seen by your customers, and it is similar to a press release. Make sure that you actually want to send out the information that you want to Tweet and that there are no mistakes in it. If you send something out with a wrong price, for instance, you may have a problem. Twitter is so quick that you literally can’t take anything back. Damage control is possible, but it is incredibly difficult with Twitter because it is so easy for something to go viral and be shared with thousands of people in a matter of minutes.
Twitter and Facebook are just two of the most popular social media platforms that you can use for your online reputation. There are, however, many more and you need to be well versed in all of them. For instance, LinkedIn is very important for your professional stakeholders such as your investors, as this shows your experience in the work that you do. Instagram, meanwhile, is great for new product launches and to allow your customers to get to know your team. Pinterest, meanwhile, allows you to show your customers fun and funky ways in which to use your product. And then, there is YouTube, which opens up a whole new world of possibilities in which you can tell customers about you and your products.
With so many social media platforms, all of which you should really use, it quickly becomes clear what a mammoth task managing your online reputation actually is. Luckily, there are plenty of companies out there that can manage this for you. Make sure that you review them properly first, however. After all, if they don’t have a solid reputation, they won’t be able to build one for you either.
