Yikes. Will you stick with this vendor, or will you backtrack and look for other alternatives? If you chose the latter option, you\u2019re not alone. Consider this: a whopping 86% of consumers will hesitate to purchase from a business that has negative online reviews<\/a>, and only 14% would consider using a business with a one or two star rating<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bottom line? It\u2019s important to make sure what people are saying about you online is working for <\/i>you, not against you. In this article, we talk about how to go about managing your company\u2019s reputation online, and discuss how you can maximize the upside and minimize the downside of word-of-mouth.<\/p>\n In a nutshell, online reputation management deals with controlling what shows up on the page when someone Googles you. When done right, online reputation management helps you improve the public\u2019s perception of your brand.<\/p>\n With online reputation management, you\u2019re essentially trying to increase the amount of positive conversations (and at the same time, decrease the amount of negative conversations) about your company. Here are the few various channels that you\u2019ll want to monitor for brand mentions:<\/p>\n Many consumers turn to review sites in order to evaluate the different companies that they\u2019ve shortlisted. Now, these review sites vary from industry to industry, but for those dealing with business software, reputable review sites include Capterra<\/a>, FinancesOnline<\/a>, Software Advice<\/a>, G2 Crowd<\/a>, GetApp<\/a>, and AppExchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n As you might imagine, having a good overall rating on these review sites can help you stand out from your competitors, and give your consumers that extra nudge they need to make a purchase. Check out Sogolytics\u2019s profile on Capterra in the screenshot above – we have a total of 422 reviews, with an overall 5\/5 rating. Now, isn\u2019t that convincing?<\/p>\n Assuming your company has a Google listing<\/a>, the first thing consumers will see when they search for your brand is this listing (plus <\/i>the reviews that you\u2019ve accumulated with it).<\/p>\n These reviews can bring about a ton of social proof, and the higher your overall rating, the more it helps in building trust with consumers.<\/p>\n Another place where consumers congregate to talk about products and services? Social media. In this day and age, it\u2019s not uncommon for frustrated customers to post angsty rants on social media. If these are posted on your company\u2019s Facebook page, it\u2019s easy enough to address them\u2026 but the difficulty lies in identifying negative comments that consumers post on their own status updates.<\/p>\n To make sure that you\u2019re hearing everything that your consumers are saying about you on social media, go ahead and use a social listening tool. To get started, check out this list of 15 free social media monitoring tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t happen very often, but some consumers do <\/i>take things to the extreme and create standalone websites to post scathing reviews about companies. These sites are typically built by disgruntled customers who feel like they\u2019ve been wronged or cheated in some way. Understanding how (and where) your consumers have conversations about your brand is just part of the puzzle. Your next step is to utilize the following online reputation management strategies to make sure that social sentiment skews positive.<\/p>\n When it comes to positive reviews, more is definitely more. 44% of consumers say a review must be written within one month to be relevant,<\/a> so enlist your customers\u2019 help, and ensure that your review sites and your Google listing gets a fresh injection of reviews every so often. <\/p>\n Pro-tip: make sure you get your timing right. If someone has just <\/i>signed up as a customer, and they haven\u2019t even gotten the chance to try your product, it doesn\u2019t make sense to ask them for a review. But if someone is renewing their plan or upgrading to a premium plan, then get in there and request a review from them!<\/p>\n Of course, not all your customers will be hardcore fans of your brand, and you will <\/i>have to respond to negative feedback and reviews. As a general rule of thumb, try to understand where your customer is coming from, and do not get defensive. If your company is in the wrong, then a genuine apology (and a promise to make things right)<\/a> is in order.<\/p>\nWhat exactly is online reputation management?<\/h2>\n
Review sites<\/h2>\n
![\"Capterra\"](\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Capterra-1024x272.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGoogle reviews<\/h2>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Google-Review.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSocial media platforms<\/h2>\n
Hate sites<\/h2>\n
\nAs Warren Buffett puts it, it takes 20 years to build a reputation, and just five minutes to ruin it. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n3 Must-Know Online Reputation Management Strategies<\/h2>\n
1. Actively Ask Your Customers To Contribute Reviews<\/h2>\n
2. Respond To Negative Feedback And Reviews<\/h2>\n