Managing Your Reputation: What You Should Know
What do you feel you know well about keeping a trustworthy and professional business reputation? Have you experienced any difficulties in the past. If you have run a business for any length of time, sure you have, so maybe you could learn some helpful strategies. It's time to make sure your business stays on the green grass.
To help build your company's reputation, you need to claim your name. The name of your company or your product is essential to brand recognition. There are several websites that allow you to check your product's or company's name to ensure that it is not used by someone else.
One of the primary ways you can manage your reputation is to claim your business brand online and take charge of the content about you. Use either KnowEm.com, UserNameCheck.com or NameChk.com to locate every online instance of your business name popping up. You only need to use one, but any of them can let you know if anyone out there is misrepresenting your business or speaking ill of you.
If you make a mistake, apologize quickly. Most people realize that everyone is human and mistakes do happen. If you are able to rectify the mistake do so quickly and address it on your website or social media site. If you are unable to rectify the mistake, apologize and go on with your business.
To maintain a good reputation, you must learn when you should respond. If a negative review of your business pops up, you must know what to do. If the complaint is legitimate, try responding privately and publicly to it. Try offering solutions like a refund. Try to avoid becoming angry or calling the review fake since it can make you look bad.
Watch what you say. This applies to both online and offline interactions. Avoid having any discussions about illegal activity or making derogatory comments. You also want to avoid having yourself and your business tied to images that are explicit or inappropriate. Also, try to avoid doing or saying anything negative that will be on a news station. Potential investors and customers may see these things as red flags.
To start your business reputation on the right foot, keep your branding simple. Use a clean typeface and color palette. Make sure your logo is simple and clearly communicates what you do and stand for. These items must be able to work on all your corporate materials. Try to avoid using complex and convoluted items in your branding.
When searching online for information about your business, and you come across something that is not accurate, ask the site owner to take the information down. If you have solid proof of the libelous nature of the information, most owners of the site will promptly take it down.
Incorporate the tips you have just digested into your strategies for keeping your business running properly. You want to ensure that your branding is working in a positive direction and not moving backwards. If you're paying attention to the right things, you will definitely be able to tell how things are going.