The Care and Feeding of Your Online Reputation

So you have built a strong online presence that has you climbing to the top of major search engines. Business is expanding and new leads are pouring in uncontrollably due to the work you’ve done to build your online marketing efforts.

But it doesn’t stop there….

Now, that you’ve built your online exposure to serious levels, it’s time to manage and feed it by staying on top of what is being said about your company online. Without respect from customers and prospects you could lose everything you have built. Whether you are right or wrong, customers tend to leave in droves when negativity comes up surrounding a business.

So here is your chance to establish a plan for keeping your stellar online reputation secure. Your website has a place for comments and suggestions which is highly recommended, but with transparency comes risk. One disgruntled customer can light a match that could potentially bring your years-long investment to ashes.

Once your company has dominated the market share and pounded the competition, the last thing you want is to teeter on the edge of defeat because of bad online publicity. The reality of controlling your reputation online basically boils down to one thing – doing ethical business on the internet and tracking what others are saying about you.

Check your website hourly and filter all feeds into one RSS Reader for time and efficiency in monitoring. Also track your message boards and forums consistently. All of this may seem like a lot of work, but it’s not an option if you truly want to protect your online reputation.

Finally, accept the inevitable bad review but be proactive about directly addressing the concern. Leaving it unmanaged could damage your stellar reputation. Therefore, do what you have to do as a business to keep your reputation spotless and professional at all time.