How Social Affects Your Brand Reputation

“Your reputation precedes you.”

Your social footprint will affect your brand reputation whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.  93% of customers read online reviews about local businesses before they engage with the brand.  We live in the era of social media and its far-reaching influence.  How does social affect your brand reputation?

Here are a few reasons you might want to share with your digital teams:

• Trust. People trust brand pages with a good reputation
• Awareness. Companies with high star-ratings and reviews get more business
• Talent. You’re likely to attract great talent with a positive reputation
• Forgiveness. Customers will forgive a brand with a better reputation
• Accessibility. Customers are more likely to connect with you at their convenience
• Transparency. Brands with a strong social reputation are viewed as more transparent and clients are more likely to engage
• Word-of-mouth. People share above-and-beyond experiences much faster and have a farther reach through social

77% of consumers think that reviews older than 3 months aren’t relevant. So, what are the key factors in reviews:

• Star ratings
• Quantity
• Frequency
• Recentness
• Responsiveness

5 Ways to Improve Your Online Reputation

1. Monitor Reviews – Happy customers don’t often write reviews. There’s a high chance someone has said something about you that requires your attention. Set up Google alerts and review the main social sites like Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIN, and Tumblr, for any mentions of your brand. Use different spellings and become disciplined at doing this on a regular basis.

2. Strategize – One you have made online reputation a priority, create a system to anticipate, and solve any issues that are happening more frequently and turn them into world-class experiences.

3. Influencers – Bring your “champion customers” into the mix. Take care of them for some day they’ll jump in to your defense.

4. Consistency – Deliver on your promises. Untimely communication when an issue arises is the biggest mistake brands make, therefore stay on top of things even if it’s to say, ‘we’re on it.’

5. Competition – Do not reinvent the wheel, use the same wheel everyone is using until you become familiar with the process, and then IMPROVE upon it. Track your competitor’s online reputation, strategies, and research the tools they might be using.

Would love to hear your thoughts about this topic.