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Do you want your customers to love, respect, and adore your small business? Then you should probably work towards a sound reputation strategy. Many potential customers rely on reviews and comments to build the perception of your business.

Since micro-enterprises and small businesses are relatively new in the market, they have to focus on building customer trust. That is where reputation management enters the picture. Before making a purchase decision, consumers consider the information that they hear about a service-provider. Therefore, improving customer service and managing reviews should be a top business priority.
Here are a few tips that you can implement for effective reputation management.

Provide brilliant customer service

You need to ensure your customer gets the best.

Regardless of whether it is before the purchase or after the purchase, the customer service your business offers should be brilliant. Research conducted by McKinsey shows that 70 percent of the customer journey depends on how the customer feels he is treated. Therefore, you should ensure that every interaction with the customer is pleasing.

Engage your audience

You should know how to engage your audience.

Your small business should not have a dull online presence. If you post loads of content but have a low response rate, there is a lot of work to do. Perhaps, you do not understand your target audience well enough. Before you attempt to woo the target audience again, build an ideal buyer persona. Then use this persona to figure out what content would be meaningful to them. When you post helpful content, you will find your posts and blogs getting more reactions than before.

Make your website mobile-ready

Optimizing the website speed across different devices is crucial.

More than half of the world’s online traffic happens due to mobile phones. Therefore, there is a significant emphasis on making websites mobile-ready.

Naturally, most people would bail on a site that fails to load in time. Think from a customer’s perspective and imagine how they would feel when they see a shabby mobile website that takes ages to load.

Wouldn’t it be frustrating? You can do your reputation a big favor by optimizing your website for different screens, especially mobiles.

Build your business profile

Look for business directories where you can list yourself.

As a small business, you need to craft your identity on the internet. When people can search for you and find credible information across websites, they will feel more confident in dealing with you. Otherwise, how would anyone know who you are? Therefore, you should build your business profile and get yourself listed on different services. Maybe you can consider using Google My Business to attract more customers to your website.

Leverage the power of social media

Create a social media presence wherever it makes sense.

Over 4.33 billion people are avid social media users as of July 2019. Understandably, this is a massive chunk of people scrolling on networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. If your audience is roaming these platforms, how can your business stay away from them? The best thing about having a social media presence is that it gives people exposure to you. Through targeted ads, you can find yourself the right sort of attention needed to generate leads.

Actively collect and monitor feedback

Customer feedback is a goldmine if you know how to use it.

You must actively try to collect feedback as it will help you improve your processes over time. Potential customers love to look at existing reviews before finalizing a purchase. A lack of reviews on your website can make customers feel uneasy. Don’t worry, as there are plenty of ways to garner more online reviews. It may seem overwhelming to keep track of whatever people say about you. That is why many small businesses use an online reputation management software to monitor reviews.

Appreciate positive feedback and tactfully handle negative feedback

Being responsive will never hurt.

Consumers are 1.7 times more likely to consider a business as more trustworthy if they acknowledge and respond to reviews.

Transparency is king. If you have positive feedback, properly appreciating them might create brand loyalty. You never know! When it comes to negative feedback, making up to the customer and showing them respect will go a long way. Always remember that an effort to please your customers is a long-term investment. While criticism about your business can damage the reputation, the way you handle the scene can build it.

Produce fresh and engaging content

Respect the audience and their time.

Let’s say you have a corporate blog. Do not post mundane content that is not adding value. In fact, try to do the opposite. Post fresh and engaging content that is meaningful. Many small businesses believe in using a blog to bring traffic to their website. The eventual goal is to generate leads, but if the content is of inferior quality, the sales will not happen. Your content needs to be impressive; otherwise, there is no use of posting it.

Attract traffic through SEO efforts

According to Guidantfianancial.com, “Thirty-three percent of small business owners cite ‘lack of capital’ as the top challenge they face.” However, this doesn’t mean that a business should compromise on SEO. When you generate meaningful organic traffic to your website, you move a step closer to a higher conversion rate. Use keyword research and figure out what the customer is searching for on Google. Try to work on those keywords to rank higher in search engines. Your business will be perceived as superior if it ranks higher on the list. Eventually, the right traffic will come, and the sales will follow.

Final Thoughts

There are several things a small business can do to build a positive and healthy reputation. Understanding the customer mindset and creating meaningful content is a must. Apart from that, the website is a crucial touchpoint that should be optimized across channels. The customer deserves the best. Your efforts to bring organic traffic to the website should be relentless. If you find monitoring reviews overwhelming, consider using a reputation management software. In the end, you should have loyal customers who love what you do.