5 Common Online Reputation Management Mistakes

A business’s reputation is crucial to its success, and nothing is more telling than an online review. Companies need to take customer service and experience seriously if they want to enhance their brand reputation with positive reviews. When your brand’s online reputation is less than perfect, prospective clients and customers will consider it before choosing you or a competitor.

The number of stars you have against your business certainly influences your performance as a company. 90% of consumers report not frequenting a business with a bad reputation. Any business cannot afford to lose out on new and repeat customers, so it’s important to focus on online reputation management and not receive any negative reviews.

What mistakes do businesses make when it comes to online reputation management? In this guide, we’ll look at frequent online reputation management mistakes. Let’s get started.

The importance of online reputation management

For businesses, brand reputation management is important in shaping the public’s perception of their company. The more they spend on building a positive online reputation and improving their image and the services or products they offer, the more highly they’ll likely be regarded by those who engage with them.

Even potential customers’ perceptions of your business’s reputation will influence their likelihood of buying from you.

Online reputation management encompasses a variety of information, from reviews to forum discussions and social media activity. The internet produces a lot of noise, and the noise for your business must be positive.

One study found that 88% of customers who read an online review said it had influenced their buying decisions.

Ultimately, every bad review you receive as a business or brand will tarnish your reputation. It’s, therefore, imperative that you do what you can to improve your online reputation management.

5 Common mistakes made with online reputation management

It’s easy for a business to make mistakes when managing its online reputation. While it’s common sense that your business’ reputation is crucial to get right, some businesses throw common sense out of the window for quick profits and short-term gains.

Let’s examine some of the common online reputation management mistakes businesses make when managing their company’s online reputation.

Businesses don’t do enough for fraud prevention and cyber security threats

Cybersecurity and the threat of online crime in general aren’t something to be ignored. The threat is very much real, and too many businesses and individuals fall victim to it.

Just one branch of cybercrime – e-mail compromise attacks – amounted to 2.94 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

Businesses often make the mistake of thinking they’re immune from cybercrime. They feel they’re not big enough or prominent enough to have a target on their backs, so they let down their guard, which makes them the most vulnerable.

A fraud prevention company is helpful in preventing fraud and tackling cyber security threats. Having a predictive pulse and a cautious attitude toward cyber attacks will help save your business from compromise.

For online reputations, falling victim to cyber-attacks in which customer or client data is lost and stolen is hard to claw back from.

Source

Posting fake reviews that compromise trust in customers

Posting fake reviews isn’t advised, mainly since users can spot them from a mile away. Glowing, short, sweet reviews, perhaps with a generalized overview or vague description of their experience, are likely fake.

The problem with posting fake reviews is that they damage the authenticity of your business and brand. Not only that, but they show customers and prospective leads that you have lied, which compromises trust.

Customers need social proof to decide on their purchases online. When they spot a fake review, they will likely stay clear of your business. It may also reach other prospective customers through word of mouth that you’re known for posting fake reviews.

Real online reviews are worth their weight in gold, which is why you should be patient in getting authentic reviews instead of fake ones.

Not going out of the way to gather reviews and feedback

Regardless of your reputation or length of existence on the market as a business, sitting and waiting for reviews to land on your doorstep is wishful thinking. Nowadays, businesses online need to be proactive in gathering customer reviews and feedback.

The digital shopper is busy, so making the time and effort to write a review on their own initiative isn’t likely to happen.

Gathering feedback and reviews across multiple online channels is relatively easy, especially if you incentivize your customers to encourage positive reviews. From free shipping to discounts and upgrades, offering incentives when you need something in return always benefits.

Responding to feedback in a negative manner

Your attitude and tone as a business is important to get right when responding to feedback. Whether that review is singing your praises or steering others away from your business, you respond by telling other customers and that customer in question.

That’s why it’s necessary to respond to feedback positively or neutrally. Some businesses make the mistake of getting hot-headed at the moment and responding to customers with a scathing tirade of abuse. Unfortunately, this response will be seen by everyone on the internet, and they’ll judge you for it.

Creating a tone guide and ensuring all those responsible for responding to reviews or feedback follow it is essential for maintaining a level-headed response.

Focusing on just one platform

Focusing on just one social media platform or review site for reviews and feedback is short-sighted. There are plenty of places where your customers and potential leads exist. That’s why you need to be proactive on all social media platforms and review sites, not just one or two.

The demand and time required for this are sometimes unachievable for smaller businesses, but that’s when outsourcing proves useful. As long as you have that tone guide, responding to your customer’s positive or negative feedback is manageable, even if your business has become a viral sensation overnight through social media.

Mention can help you monitor all social media platforms and review sites.

How to improve online reputation management for your business

If you’ve read the above and noticed your business has made the same mistakes previously, then all hope is not lost. There’s always an opportunity to redeem a business reputation, even in the mud.

The best approach when it comes to online reputation management is to strategize. That way, you can set goals, monitor progress, and make changes where necessary. With that in mind, here are some steps to take to give your online reputation a big boost of positivity.

• Create a tone guide for responding to reviews – This is a useful way to ensure consistency when responding to each and every review or customer feedback.
• Monitor and respond to reviews – Don’t just say thanks. Be generous with your response, and don’t make the mistake of ignoring online reviews, even the negative reviews.
• Check all social feeds regularly for customer feedback – Don’t just focus on one platform. Make sure you’re present on all of them.
• Improve the customer experience – The customer experience doesn’t just end once a purchase has been made. Continue the conversation for repeat custom.
• Track results – Look at what comes from these online reviews and your interactions. Look for pain points and areas for improvement, especially in negative reviews.

It’s always good to have a plan of action and monitor your online presence regularly when it comes to monitoring your company’s reputation. There’s always room for improvement, and no business is perfect when it comes to its reputation.

Don’t make the same reputation management mistakes

Online reputation management is a focus point that your business should always be mindful of. After all, your customers are essential to your business success, both old and new. That’s why you need to ensure you leave a lasting impression and a customer experience that will have them running to their keyboards.

Check out Monitor today and stay ahead of your competitors with a glistening social media presence.