How to Build An Excellent Online Reputation in 2020?

Ace investor Warren Buffett once said: It takes around 20 years to build a reputation of any firm and it takes just 5 minutes to ruin it.

For this reason and much more, there is often no worse feeling for an entrepreneur than seeing a brand that has spent years tarnished by a bad review online.

But take heart! There are six easy things every business owner can do to keep their brand & business reputation in shape.

 

1. Be transparent

It is difficult to show your weaknesses, but hidden or ambiguous weaknesses are the main cause of bad reviews.

Maybe a business isn't shipping products as quickly as customers expect, or maybe a business return policy doesn't allow for refunds, and this fact is hidden in the fine details. However, these companies often worry that customers will not buy from them in the first place if they do not hide their weaknesses. The result may be a slight uptick in sales today, but disappointed customers will not return and will write bad reviews, resulting in fewer customers in the long term.

What we've seen work is a policy of transparency - the companies that ultimately get the best reviews are the ones that outline their weaknesses up front, but explain them and then do their best to overcome them.

So if you are a small business, you might explain that you are a mum and pop store and that you are doing your best to get the orders on time, but sometimes things can take a little longer, and ask them to waive a delay in advance. That way, if you take out your shipment on time, the customer is pleasantly surprised.

Businesses have found that being more transparent upfront results in more forgiving, loyal customers and are more likely to write positive reviews.

 

2. Set up a review profile online by yourself before you get negative reviews

Try as much as possible, it is impossible to satisfy all of our customers all the time. However, bad reviews shouldn't hurt your business in light of the proper preparations.

 

So, instead of waiting for a bad review to appear and then seeking to fix your reputation online, the best thing you can do is to come out in front of negative comments by claiming and developing your reputation online as quickly as possible.

This way, you can fill in all of your contact information, tell the unique story of your business through text and images, and invite some of your customers to review your business. Having a well-developed online profile on review sites can be a valuable tool to help you create a new business, but also in the event that your business receives a negative review, it can be read in the context of your business boundaries.

 

3. Respond to every review whether it is positive or negative

Firms that respond to each review tend to get better reviews over time.

We recommend publicly thanking all reviewers regardless of how they classify your business, because it informs existing and potential customers that you care, and it doesn't seem like you are in control of damage when you respond to a negative review because you've been dealing with all of your customers all the time.

Smart consumers can discover a business associated with serving customers from miles away, and are always happy to reward them with more business.

 

4. Respond to negative comments in the right way

For small business owners, negative reviews can be especially distressing and personal. However, if you respond in the right way, it is possible to not only prevent damage to your online reputation, but to improve it.

By engaging a reviewer and establishing human contact, you can often help the situation and even change a customer's opinion. You'd be surprised how many times a polite response to a bad review can give a reviewer a second chance for your business. If you feel you can resolve a customer's complaint, send a private message offering the solution. Once the customer's concerns are satisfied, politely ask him to reconsider his review.

If you are not able to solve a customer's problem, just write a short and polite general response, and thank them for their business and comments. If you can respond to the specific customer experience and mention any changes that you may have made as a result of this, this could lead to you gaining confidence and a second chance even if you are not able to solve their problem.

 

Your response will also be read by other potential clients, who will be able to see your professionalism and commitment to providing all clients with the best possible experience.

 

5. Gather as many reviews as possible

Getting a large number of reviews can be a very effective tool for winning potential customer confidence and improving conversion rates.

Moreover, if you get a negative review, it can be seen in the context of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of happy customers.

 

6. Do not pay for what you can get for free

Claiming and managing a basic business profile on review sites should be free. Avoid services that charge you for removing comments or complaints, or promising to "manage your reputation".

Also avoid sites that charge you for the number of reviews they collect and force you to collect a certain number of reviews in order to get higher star ratings. These services are not compatible with the success of your business.

 

Let’s Wrap Up:

In 2012, Nielsen reported that 70% of global consumers say they trust online reviews. This number is sure to rise in the coming years.

In fact, the eConsultancy Survey found that 68% of consumers actually trust reviews more when they see good and bad reviews, and in 2010 researchers from Stanford University found that negative reviews can actually increase sales.

If you find any difficulty to manage bad reviews or if you want to remove the bad reviews, you can contact an online reputation management company in India and USA that helps you with their experts.

You can hire us to maintain your online brand and business reputation on SERPs.