Paying attention to reputation is key to prospering as a business today
Taking care of your reputation is more critical than ever thanks to the widespread use of the Internet and social media to share opinions, experiences, and info about businesses of all kinds. Not only is reputation management critical to prospering as a business, but it’s an important part of any crisis management plan.
In a post for The Proactive Report, Social Media Strategist Sally Falkow shared what she calls “The Reputation Feedback Loop”, something we believe every business should be utilizing. Check it out:
- Find out what is being said online about your brand, your employees and your executives. If you don’t already have a robust monitoring system in place this should be your first action.
- Listen to what’s being said and analyze the data. This is how you will get the first clues to a crisis that might be bubbling under the surface. If you can identify it early and act promptly it is possible to avert a full blown online crisis.
- Connect with your customers and other stakeholders online. Figure out where they’re active on social media.
- Be proactive. Every time a customer comes into your establishment reach out to them and ask for feedback on that visit. Ask them to rate your business and the employees they dealt with.
- Use a system that automates this process, so that it is not too time-consuming. Choose a system that’s easy for you to administer and make it quick and easy for the customer to rate and review you. It must be mobile-responsive.
- Use the negative feedback to improve any issues with the business, your product or your employees.
- Encourage any customer who gives you a 4 or 5 star rating to post it online, so you can build that trust factor.
The prevalence of online review sites and widespread use of social media are certainly double-edged swords. Without care, a few small hiccups can turn into a serious loss of business, but these same platforms present opportunities for you to take your reputation to the next level, boosting your bottom line and protecting against any threats that may appear.
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]
– See more at: http://managementhelp.org/blogs/crisis-management/2015/01/10/building-your-online-reputation/#sthash.4y8qeZd5.dpuf
Jonathan L. Bernstein, founder and Chairman of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of crisis management – crisis response, vulnerability assessment, planning, training and simulations.
Erik Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management. Erik started with BCM in 2009 as a writer and subsequently became social media manager for the consultancy itself as well as for a number of BCM clients before moving to the president position.