A Guide to Small Business Reputation Management

What Is Business Reputation Management?

Reputation management for business encompasses all aspects of improving and maintaining a positive brand image. It seeks to control the narrative of the perception that the public has of your business. The idea is to make sure that your target audience has positive thoughts when your brand comes to mind.

In this digital age, the internet serves as the perfect stage for implementing a robust business reputation management framework, all the more so because a lot happens online. From trending hashtags on social media platforms to discussion forums, there are multiple channels where people get to talk about your brand.

Additionally, in the era of “cancel culture” where mistakes are unforgivable, Trustpilot reports that 90% of consumers avoid companies with bad reputations. Consequently, a significant portion of reputation management for businesses focuses on monitoring and protecting a brand’s online presence.

Making the Case for Online Reputation Management

According to a survey by BrightLocal, 33% of consumers always check online reviews when evaluating local businesses and 42% do so regularly. In addition, half of all consumers place the same amount of trust in reviews as they do in personal recommendations. The survey also points out that 93% of consumers feel that businesses should respond to the reviews they receive.

Online reputation management (ORM) allows you to stay on top of all the chatter by offering strategies that give your brand a facelift, and help you maneuver out of unfavorable situations. It is a continuous process that allows you to tackle reputation-damaging issues as soon as they arise, thereby maintaining a favorable public persona for your business. Here are some of the tactics you may expect a reputation management company to follow.

• Press and social media monitoring. Given that most people get their information from either or both of these sources, it is important to monitor them. Reputation management follows online chatter and news reports about your business and industry to evaluate your company’s social standing.
• Review management. Data released by ReviewTrackers indicates that 94% of consumers admit to avoiding businesses with bad reviews. Negative ratings are one of the most discouraging things that can happen to any business. Not only are they proof of bad customer experiences, but they also discourage potential customers from patronizing your business. By using professional business reputation management services, you get to address customer feedback swiftly and effectively.
• Misinformation suppression. News about a supposed problem can spread quickly and even before people confirm its authenticity. In cases where there are no professionals to handle the situation, the misinformation can do irreparable damage to your business. A reputation management company attacks false information by shutting it down before it mars your brand irreversibly.
• Crisis management. Corporate crisis is more common than you think. According to a PwC survey, 96% of corporations experienced disruptions from 2021 to 2023. Without proper reputation management, businesses would not be able to survive such emergencies and redeem their integrity.

Importance of Reputation Management for Small Businesses

It is a common misconception that only big industry names need reputation management. While larger corporations typically require less work to keep a positive image due to their widespread fame, small businesses need to put in more effort to build a sustainable reputation. Given that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) have a lot of room to develop, establishing and maintaining a positive reputation is pivotal to their growth. For such businesses, the stakes are higher.

Building a solid reputation from the ground up is a smart business move. Several corporations have suffered setbacks due to scathing revelations about their early days in business. A popular example of this is the Nike sweatshop scandal of the 1990s. The scandal continued gaining attention until the early 2000s, significantly affecting Nike’s popularity.

Benefits of Small Business Reputation Management

The significance of online reputation management for small businesses cannot be overstated. It determines whether your brand will be widely accepted or treated like an outcast. Here are some advantages of having a stellar business reputation.

• It generates better business reviews. Consumers generally love talking about positive brand experiences. If customers enjoy patronizing your business, chances are that they will advocate for your brand. Additionally, by leaving positive reviews and recommending your business to others, satisfied consumers help build your reputation by making it look more appealing to potential customers.
• Consumers trust your brand. Customer loyalty is vital for running a successful business and at the foundation of that is trust. A solid business reputation builds confidence in your brand. With loyal customers who can vouch for your integrity, it’s easier to manage your reputation and avoid corporate crises. Additionally, it encourages other brands to partner with you.
• You get more visibility. One of the keys to expanding your business is increased brand awareness. There are several associated benefits of getting more exposure for your business. With an impressive reputation, more people become aware of your products and services. Consequently, you generate more leads, convert more customers, and earn more revenue.

Drawbacks of Poor Business Reputation Management

Not following a streamlined reputation management process or having a poor brand reputation comes with various potential risks.

• Reduced customer engagement. The immediate risk that companies with damaged reputations face is that people begin to boycott the brands in question. Unsurprisingly, consumers generally avoid disgraced companies. This means you lose existing customers, and the chances of gaining new ones reduce significantly. It also affects other sources of revenue like government sponsorships and partnerships with other brands.
• Higher marketing expenses. A damaged reputation requires more marketing expenses to resuscitate. This poses an even bigger issue because while you’re spending to look more appealing, with a bad reputation, you most likely aren’t earning enough to make up for it.
• Business collapse. The worst-case scenario is for your business to fold up. A consistently negative reputation cannot birth a successful business. Additionally, it could take just one costly misstep to ruin your reputation and sink your business.

Online Reputation Management Tools You May Use

As a small business owner, investing in reputation management early on ties up loose ends that could potentially become reputational risks. Besides, it also sets you up for global recognition. If you have limited resources to invest, you may consider using a reputation management software for small businesses, and here are your top options.

Birdeye

As a top-rated reputation and customer experience platform for local businesses, this online reputation management tool lets you request, respond to, and promote reviews. It is very robust, compiling data from over 150 review sites. It also has an option for monitoring your social media accounts as well as conducting competitor analysis. With Birdeye, you pay:

• $299 per month for the Starter subscription
• $399 per month for Growth
• $449 per month for Dominate

Podium

This award-winning online reputation management tool makes review management as simple as texting. The software uses text messages to help small businesses boost their online reputation, generate leads, and convert more customers. Additionally, a unified dashboard lets you respond to customer inquiries and follow up on prospects quickly. Podium’s plans include:

• $399 per month
• $599 per month
• Custom pricing

NiceJob

This cloud-based reputation management tool helps businesses manage reviews. By leveraging customers’ feedback, the platform automates social media marketing, thereby generating leads from social networks, and improving your overall online presence.

NiceJob offers the most affordable base subscription on this list in the form of its Grow plan, at $75 a month. The Grow + Sites plan will set you back by $174 per month, and it also comes with a one-time setup fee of $399.

Trustpilot

This platform allows business owners to transform customer reviews into revenue. By collecting consumer feedback, you may display positive reviews on your website as well as search engine results pages (SERPs). The different Trustpilot pricing plans from which you get to choose include:

• Starting at $259 per month
• Starting at $629 per month
• Starting at $1,059 per month
• Custom pricing

10 Online Reputation Management Tips for Businesses

If you look at the top brand reputation management examples, you will notice certain commonalities. Depending on the situation you’re in and the goals you wish to accomplish, you may use all the tips that apply.

1. Rebrand Your Business

If your business struggles to overcome a negative reputation, rebranding could help consumers see you in a new light and rekindle brand loyalty. Successfully rebranding your business should increase its appeal and almost make consumers forget about the old brand. Just as redemption depicts an individual as a brand new person who has learned from past mistakes and is willing to improve, rebranding your business could give it a new lease of life.

2. Collaborate With Influencers

Influencer marketing involves hiring someone who’s widely loved and respected to represent your brand. Influencers are public figures with massive followings on social media. Given that they wield a strong influence on their followers, having them advocate for your brand effectively sways the opinions of their fans in favor of your business.

3. Hire a Reputation Management Company

Reputation management is a continuous process that typically requires following a professional approach for the best results. As your business expands, overseeing this responsibility yourself may no longer be possible. In this case, you may consider looking at what reputation management companies for small businesses have to offer.

4. Hire Professionals to Manage Your Social Media

Not everyone can excel at social media management. Some people have the gift of effortlessly amassing followers and keeping them engaged. Such social media-savvy individuals would be best for managing your social media accounts. They can create content and respond to consumers across various networking platforms and do more than generate leads. Companies that provide online reputation management services for small businesses tend to have social media experts on their teams.

5. Use Paid Ads

Paid advertising is a great way to increase visibility within your industry. It helps you attract customers as well as business partners who can help expand your operations. Additionally, it indirectly helps you grow word-of-mouth referrals, which is an excellent way of boosting your reputation. The more new customers you gain through advertising, the quicker the news of your products and services spreads.

6. Improve SEO Practices

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the best way to get online visibility. It is responsible for organic web traffic, the most rewarding source of website visits. When you optimize your website for search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, consumers can easily find your business when they look for related keywords online.

7. Offer Public Apologies

If your company winds up in a public mess, the advisable way to proceed is to offer a public apology. Open regret communicates remorse and accountability to your target audience and can potentially help you rebuild trust with consumers. A genuine publicly tendered apology to all those affected by your indiscretion is an effective method of reputation repair.

8. Create a Positive Brand Experience

Creating a positive brand experience inevitably builds a good reputation. Brand experience refers to the impressions that consumers have from interacting with your business. It shapes their perception of your brand which ultimately determines whether or not they will continue doing business with you and if they might recommend your business to others. A positive experience will not only keep customers coming back but will also help you establish a reputable brand.

9. Put Together a Likable Support Team

Your customer support team is an important representative of your business. Consumers typically have more online interactions with the customer service team than any other staff member. Competent and endearing support agents can smooth things over with disgruntled customers before they escalate. In addition to avoiding overblown criticism, they boost your reputation as a brand with excellent customer care.

10. Reward Consumer Engagement

When you reward consumers for their engagement, it motivates them to continue interacting with your brand. Discounts, promos, and referral bonuses contribute to increased engagement. This generates leads for your business and earns you a likable reputation.

Conclusion

Your business’s reputation is perhaps its most valuable asset. Once that is tarnished, it becomes difficult for your business to function properly and might even signal the end of its operations. In the past, business reputation management may only have been a tool for salvaging messy situations, but now, it is an essential element of running a business. It upholds your brand identity, tackles potential risks, and handles damage control in cases of reputational crises.

Investing in reputation management will not only protect your brand but will also help you convert and retain customers, expand business operations, and generate more revenue. Besides, hiring a good reputation management company can help transform your brand’s reputation for the better.