If you’re planning to
market a small business online, make sure that you don’t allow your
online presence to be tarnished by negative content. As you know,
negative content can spread like wildfire around the Internet. Should
something bad make the rounds, you can hire reputation management
professionals for help, but there are some techniques that you can do
on your own.
Fires can start offline
Unless your business is
conducted purely over the Internet, there’s a big chance that
negative comments and critiques will stem from something that you’ve
done in the real world. In everything you do, see to it that you
avoid giving your customers poor service and you should keep from
offending or otherwise putting off your clients.
Smell the smoke
Of
course, online reputation management
also
involves knowing exactly what is being said about your business.
There are many programs that could help you accomplish this, such as
Google Alerts, so be sure to register your business. These platforms
will notify you should a blog post or a forum entry discuss your
business.
Stop, drop, and roll
Take measures to ensure that
whatever negative comments exist will be answered. Reply to the bad
press in a professional manner, promise a solution, and deliver on
your words. Acknowledging your mistakes and apologizing to those
affected is the first step towards reparation and hopefully,
reconciliation with your client or customer.