The modern consumer is far more interested in reputation when they are looking for brands to invest their money in. They want to buy from ethical brands who genuinely care about their customers and the impact that they have on the world around them. So, the question is: how can one maintain a sterling reputation online?
Read on and we’ll teach you how to keep your brand looking nice and shiny in the eyes of your target audience…
1. Define your brand, find your voice, be consistent
The first step is to figure out who on earth you are! What is your brand, truly? What are your values? What is your brand voice? Who are you talking to? What does your perfect customer look like and how can you best resonate with them?
Maintaining a reputation is all about being consistent and if you don’t quite know who you are or who you are marketing to, then your reputation will suffer for it.
2. Deliver the goods, keep your promises, always show up
Next, you really need to invest in your products / services. Show up and deliver a superior quality, consistently. There’s no good attracting loads of new business to your website and converting them into sales if you don’t have the infrastructure in place to accommodate them.
You also need to make your website as accessible and user-friendly as possible. Think about intuitive design, fast page load speed, internal linking, and providing quality content that helps your website visitors easily navigate their way to the products or services that they need.
Want to maintain a solid reputation? Live up to expectations.
3. Take care of your customers – and your employees
Look after your customers and your employees in equal measure. The customer is not always right, just as your employees are not above scrutiny.
Invest in your customer service and do everything that you can to ensure a positive user experience from start to finish. From the moment your prospects discover your brand, all the way through to a positive conclusion when they make a purchase, you need to treat them with the utmost care and consideration.
That, and always invest well in your employees. Give them everything they need to deliver a superior service and reward them for their efforts.
4. Encourage reviews and testimonials
At every opportunity you and your staff should be requesting reviews from your satisfied customers. Most people, when prompted, will do so – especially if you make it easy for them (e.g., adding direct links / QR codes to menus, etc.).
Following that, respond to ALL feedback – especially the negative. You want to demonstrate your concern, quickly respond with solutions, and show that you truly care about ensuring that every single one of your customers has a positive experience.
Some people just love a good moan. However, there are many people who will respond well to brands who genuinely try to turn their experience around – sometimes converting into loyal, long-term customers.
Additionally, (especially in B2B), you should offer case studies on previous success stories. Take this SEO expert in Texas as an example; with a wealth of 5* reviews and plenty of real-life case studies for their prospective clients to review, they have a much easier time demonstrating their reputation and living up to expectations because they “show” rather than “tell”.
5. Check your NAP details and make sure it is consistent
Your business name, address, phone number, and all other relevant contact details should be present on your website, GMB profile, and all of your socials – and they should be perfectly synced up. Make sure that there are no inconsistencies.
6. Lead the conversation with high-value content
Another great way to establish and maintain a sterling reputation is to lead the conversation and to consistently share high-value content that anticipates and addresses your target audience’s needs. What are their biggest fears and concerns? How can you solve their problems? What are their interests? What kind of content do they resonate best with?
If you always show up and deliver valuable content across multiple platforms, you’ll have a much easier time maintaining your reputation because you are present in their minds.
Conclusion
So, let’s have a quick recap:
- Define your brand, find your voice, and be consistent.
- Deliver the goods and always live up to expectations. In fact, you should exceed them wherever possible.
- Take care of your customers and your employees in equal measure (your employees are your biggest brand ambassadors).
- Encourage reviews and respond to all of them (especially the negative).
- Ensure your NAP details are correct and consistent across all online platforms.
- Lead the conversion and create high-value content across multiple platforms.
Be who you are, deliver quality every time, nurture your customers, treat your employees exceptionally well, and create awesome content consistently. If you can stick to the above tips, you’ll have no trouble at all establishing a solid reputation – and indeed maintaining it.