Title: 9 Reasons Why Reputation Management Is Necessary

What is reputation management, and why does my business need it?

To help small business owners decide if their company can benefit from reputation management, we asked business leaders and CEOs this question for their best advice. From helping clients get honest reviews to emphasizing causes you care about, there are several reasons to consider reputation management for your small business that may help you build a positive online presence for the future. 

Here are nine advantages to having reputation management:

• Gain Honest Reviews
• Be Proactive vs. Reactive
• Obtaining Opportunities For Growth
• Take Control of the Narrative
• Emphasize Causes You Care About
• Foster Trust With Customers
• Build Defenses for the Future
• Keep an Eye Out for Negative Reviews
• Benefits Small Businesses

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Gain Honest Reviews 

Let’s face it, before making a large purchase we have all searched for online reviews. It gives you peace of mind to know what you’re getting into, whether you are researching appliances or an interior designer like me. Reputation management services help companies generate verified, honest reviews from their satisfied clients. That way, when prospective clients do their online research, they’ll have confidence in you and your business.

Alisha Taylor, Alisha Taylor Interiors

Be Proactive vs Reactive 

Reputation management is essentially the monitoring of your businesses' online perception. It's looking into what people have to say about you through reviews, positive or negative, the content you've posted, and your social media accounts. Having reputation management means you'll be better prepared to handle any backlash or handle negative reviews faster to help boost your appeal. Looking into it is more proactive than reactive so it's worth considering it so you're not scrambling when you really need it. 

Alex Belladorsi, Appliance Technician

Obtaining Opportunities for Growth

Reputation management is the monitoring and shaping of the online presence, or online image, of a company. It covers areas like reputation protection and crisis management. Using these services helps you assess the way your brand is being perceived by looking into customer reviews, or you rank in online searches, and such. If people view you too negatively, then expanding your business is going to be tough; stakeholders and customers may not want to take the risk. On the other hand, if your brand has a positive reception, then more opportunities for growth may come your way or they may be easier to obtain. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your business! 

Randall Smalley, Cruise America

Take Control of the Narrative

Much like people, businesses must maintain a solid reputation in order to thrive. Reputation management allows businesses to cultivate and maintain a favorable image. This is important at all times but especially in the midst of bad publicity. Businesses that place little focus on reputation management leave the door open for competitors and others to shape public perception. By actively managing your reputation and responding to issues as they arise, you can control the narrative around your brand. 

Claire Routh, Markitors

Emphasize Causes You Care About

When we talk about reputation management, we talk about branding. You want a positive association with your brand to come to mind when consumers think of you. Consumers give money to marketers they trust. They trust you if they feel good about you. For this reason, it's important for brands to stay away from scandals, even if that means staying away from social media. To help your reputation, consider cause marketing, which is supporting causes your target audience supports. By making efforts to have your target audience feel good about your brand, positive word of mouth will help spread your reach.

Janice Wald, Mostly Blogging Academy

Foster Trust With Customers 

Having good reputation management can help make customers trust your business. By scouring the internet to repair any damage done to your business's online reputation, you can gain the trust of your customers. Even if you have a bad review, responding to it to resolve the situation will make customers trust you more.

John Levisay, The Pro's Closet

Build Defenses For the Future 

People love to talk about products and brands online, and using your social media to listen to their feedback, comments, and suggestions can help build your reputation as a brand that cares. By interacting with your customers directly when something goes wrong and quickly solving the problem, you vastly improve your brand’s customer service, and in turn, your customers trust in you. I would recommend investing in a social listening tool to better keep an eye on all of the buzz around your brand and products. However, if your brand is still relatively small, just focus on monitoring your social media mentions, DMs, and any branded hashtags you may have. Be the brand that is there for its customers! When you build up trust with your audience time and time again, you can avoid a tarnished reputation.

Melissa Haws, The Furnace Outlet

Keep an Eye Out for Negative Reviews 

Reputation management is an important tool in your repertoire of tools for business success. Reputation management allows you to control the narrative about your business by seeking out negative reviews and responding to them in a meaningful way. If you just ignore negative reviews, it can have a damaging impact on your business. Businesses that actively engage negative reviews by offering an apology and some sort of follow-up show that they care about customer feedback which makes your business look good.

Tim Mitchum, WinPro Pet

Benefits Small Businesses

Reputation management can help a business manage negative online reviews and other issues that might damage its reputation. It's especially important for small and medium-sized businesses to engage in reputation management strategies because they usually don't have large PR teams working tirelessly on their behalf.

Jeffery Brown, Big Fig Mattress

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