Great Connections for Winter 2018

GREAT Connections WINTER 2018 7 What are people saying about your business online? Managing Your Online Reputation I n business, bigger isn’t necessarily better. There are advan- tages to being small, including the ability to provide service that’s truly personal. As both businesses and customers increasingly interact online, 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 ser- vice. They can also use social media to foster strong connections that lead to more sales. On the down side, any negative information appearing online can be harmful to your 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 business. Use online tools tomonitor social media sites, especially Twitter and Facebook. For example, you can receive emails when keywords you choose showup on Twitter or when someone posts a comment on your Facebook page. Also, set up a Google alert for your business name and any product brand names; Google will send you email messages that showyour onlinementions. 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 information about your business in order to push the negative comments down in search rankings. 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 blogs, respond to negative comments as soon as possible after they appear. Resist the temptation to reply with anger when someone criticizes your business. Keep the inter- ests of your customers in mind and determine whether a public or private response is more appropriate. Respond to positive mentions as well. Thank people who compli- ment your business 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 com- ments 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. When you post valuable or entertaining content, it can bring you closer to your customers. Remember that strong relationships on social media sites make negative information less likely to be believed.