It pays—literally—for a business to have a positive reputation. If a customer has an exceptional experience that brings them to share their grievances online, however, your company might have to resort to what is called reputation management to get back to a favorable standing. 

Ironically, reputation management does not have the best reputation among business owners. The idea of reputation “management” implies that there’s something to be managed. Rather than only addressing a situation once it’s occurred, though, it’s a good idea for brands to shift to reputation marketing. 

Reputation management may be likened to crisis management and will only be implemented if a problem already exists. Reputation marketing, on the other hand, will approach the situation from a more positive perspective. It will focus on treating the continuous process of maintaining a good reputation and think of it as a company’s competitive edge. 

Shifting from Reputation Management to Reputation Marketing

Shifting focus from reputation management to reputation marketing is a smart move for any business owner. Considering your reputation as a valuable and useful asset will help be converted from a stagnant business component to a driver of company growth.

That sounds all fine and dandy, but what does this transition look like? Here are a few useful steps to change focus from reputation management to properly marketing your reputation:

1 – Be Aware of What Your Customers Are Saying

When push comes to shove, new customers will rely on online reviews to decide if they want to do business with you or not. This is why it is crucial to be aware of what your current customers are saying about your products or services. The reviews about your company will speak volumes to new and potential customers, which is why making sure that most (or all, if possible) of your reviews will have only good feedback to share.

2 – Get More Reviews

As your company grows, it is important to encourage your customers to leave reviews about how they found your services or products. This will create a bond of trust between your target audience and the business. It will show that the company values what customers think and that they will know that you are a transparent and trustworthy company.

3 – Incorporate Customer Reviews into Your Marketing Strategy

If you have gotten a number of positive reviews, it’s a good idea to incorporate them into your marketing strategy. If your customers are happy with the service or products that you provide, you can entice leads to do business with you by using good feedback that previous customers have already offered up!

Conclusion on Shifting from Reputation Management to Reputation Marketing

The most important rule when it comes to building a positive reputation—both online and offline—is to turn what people say about you into your biggest weapon. The reviews that your customers post contain a heaping amount of usable feedback that you can use to better your company. It does not matter whether they leave positive or negative reviews (although, if you notice more negative reviews, you might have more work cut out for you), but you can use these bits of information to know what your customers are thinking. It will not fall to you, as the business owner, to take these criticisms seriously and to your advantage.

The task of monitoring your business reviews may seem like a tedious process at first, especially if you are a young company. However, keep in mind that all your efforts will pay off soon enough. Better yet, look for a service provider that can help with your social media monitoring efforts and make sure you’re always aware of your brand’s reputation online!

If you are looking for a way to start incorporating reputation marketing to your overall marketing strategy, talk to one of the professionals at TurnKey Reputation. We work hard to improve your online reputation by using our automated system. Let us start handling your reputation marketing and see the difference!

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