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DECEMBER 2015
3
business
solutions
On the down side, any negative informa-
tion appearing online can be harmful
to a company’s reputation. Fortunately,
there are steps you can take to find out
what people are saying about you, and
to repair any damaging remarks.
Monitor
First, monitor the Internet for potentially
unflattering information about your
company. Use online tools to monitor
social media sites, especially Twitter and
Facebook. For example, you can receive
emails when keywords you choose show
up on Twitter, or when someone posts
a comment on your Facebook fan page.
Also, set up a Google alert for your
business name and any product brand
names; Google will send you email mes-
sages that include your online mentions.
React
If you find negative information posted
on another website, ask the owner of
the site to remove it. If they refuse, don’t
waste time trying to force the issue.
Instead, create more positive informa-
tion about yourself in order to push the
negative comments down in search rank-
ings, so it’s less likely to be seen. Positive
content can be added in the form of new
pages on your website, press releases,
articles, and posts on other sites. You
can also ensure higher search rankings
by using search engine optimization
(SEO) techniques.
Respond
Within social media sites and other
places you can comment (such as blogs),
respond to negative comments as soon
as possible after they appear. Resist the
temptation to reply with anger when
someone criticizes your company. Keep
the interests of your customers in mind
and determine whether a public or pri-
vate response is more appropriate.
Respond to positive mentions as well.
Thank people who compliment your
company, and engage them further by
asking for an opinion, or letting them
know about new product offerings.
Whether positive or negative, look for
patterns in customer comments and use
them to guide the future direction of
your business.
Participate
Actively participate in social media to
establish relationships and a reputation
as an expert in your field. Posting valuable
information, deals, images, or even
just entertainment brings you closer to
your customers. Remember that strong
relationships on social media sites
make negative information less likely
to be believed.
Managing Your
Online
Reputation
What are people saying about your business online?
In business, bigger isn’t necessarily better. There are advantages to being small, including the
ability to provide service that’s truly personal. As both businesses and customers move toward
online interactions, this ability can be leveraged even further. Small businesses can easily
monitor what customers are saying about them and use the information to provide better
service. They can also use social media to foster strong connections that lead to more sales.