If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good reputation is worth your weight in gold.
How many times have you ventured online to look for a good or service only to see a business that has a low rating and then instead opted for the trustworthy business that has a ton of great reviews?
You’re not alone. According to Consumer reports 92% of consumers check for a company’s online reputation before deciding to go with that company. This applies to Real Estate Agents, Doctors & Dentists, Landscape Agencies, Lawyers—Really any business that depends on a strong local reputation and word of mouth to find new clients.
This is why the concept of Reputation Management is so important, especially in an era in which we find ourselves increasingly dependent on online resources to help us sift through the dozens of businesses in our area that offer the services we need.
Think of this—do any of these sound like something your business experiences?
- Depends on word-of-mouth referrals to get new clients, but now find that people are talking less in person and less word-of-mouth referrals are coming in?
- Want to be the business that pops up first when people search for you services, but consistently see your competitors show up instead?
- Want your website to bring customers to you instead of you having to bring customers to your website?
A good digital marketing approach ensures that your reputation is managed and that you stay one step ahead of your other local competitors.
What kind of businesses benefit the most from Reputation Management? Businesses that strive to offer great service, as opposed to cheap service, businesses that have a lot of customer interaction, and businesses that benefit from word-of-mouth referrals are at the top of the list, whereas online-only businesses, product-oriented businesses and bottom-of-the-barrel-pricing businesses with slim profit margins do not benefit as much.
Great examples of businesses that fit well into this kind of system are: Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Veterinarians, Electricians, Plumbers, Contractors, Dog Groomers, Mechanics, Landscapers, Lawn Care Specialists, Accountants, Bookkeepers, Real Estate Agents, Computer Repair businesses and more.
[mailerlite_form form_id=1]
What Reputation Management can do for your small business:
- Increase your visibility and trustworthiness on various platforms such as Google Maps, Yelp, Facebook and more, thereby increasing the total number of people reaching out to your business.
- Distinguish you from your local competitors as a more trustworthy option.
- Build you a growing email list for future marketing campaigns.
- Increase leads, sales, revenue, and ultimate profit.
How does Reputation Management for small businesses work?
A good Reputation Management system actively solicits your clients for their opinion on your services. It then uses that feedback to encourage those that have had a good experience with your business to share that experience, and allows those that are not fully satisfied to reach out to you so that they can resolve their issues.
While the concept is simple, it’s important that you choose a thought-out Reputation Management system, as the Terms of Service agreements with rating sites can be a lot to navigate. You want to make sure you find a marketing consultant that knows the ins-and-outs of Reputation Management and specializes in working for small businesses.
While Reputation Management is not the end-all-be-all of small business digital marketing, if you are a small business owner who has not yet ventured far into Digital Marketing, and are finding yourself behind the curve in the era we’re in, it is a great place to start.
Are you interested in learning more about Reputation Management? Feel free to schedule some time to talk with me directly at danielcandelaria.com/call and we can discuss what platforms and strategies work best for your particular business.
