Your Online Reputation
If you Google 'small business online reputation', you'll find a ton of information - and a bunch of our competitors.
And that's OK - you should go with the best. We like to think that's us. But you have to make an informed decision. We can help with that: We're unique in that we're so confident of the quality of our staff and service that we don't let you pay until after you've seen us work for a month. And during that time, you'll learn more about why your reputation is so important, and why we're the best team to look after it for you. But in the meantime, here are some nuggets of important information about why you should have us - or our competitors - protect your reputation for you: As I said, there's lots of places to find information like this online, but we liked this article from USA TODAY (possibly because we got a mention!) A 4-year-old bakery in Chicago, Foiled Cupcakes, has earned a 4.5 star reputation.... Seeing a 3-star review complaining that her cupcakes were dry, Luangrath (the owner) immediately emailed the customer... baked another batch... and redelivered the goods, prompting a positive follow-up from the customer. Obsessive monitoring of online reviews has become the norm for tech-savvy small-business owners. The burdensome but necessary task has been made even more complex by the emergence of social media channels, Twitter in particular, that empower opinionated customers. |
"I'm always on these sites, freaking out," Luangrath says. "It can seem like a huge time-waster, but it's something we've got to take care of every day. Timing is everything."
In recent years, "reputation management" services - Netvibes, Reputation.com, ReviewTrackers.com, Reputation&Reviews and Trackur.com have opened shop to cater to small-business owners looking to outsource the time-consuming task of aggregating online reviews and comments. (Note: We do so much more than monitor and aggregate: We help make more people love you!)... It goes on.... While it may be tempting for small business owners to shrug off a few lousy reviews, industry research shows benign neglect of a company's online reputation could quickly hurt sales - especially given the 'new normal' behavior of customers consulting their smartphones for even the smallest of purchases. A Harvard Business School research says that a one-star increase can lead to a 9% increase in sales. Four out of five consumers, or 80%, reverse their purchase decisions based upon negative online reviews, up from 67% in 2010, according to the Online Influence Trend Tracker by Cone. "It has a really major impact on the bottom line". |