There are\u00a0286,942,362 internet users\u00a0in the United States. Of that group, users who are online shoppers spent an estimated $1,804 per person on ecommerce purchases in 2015. Consider the same data for 2016, and you will find that\u00a0we nearly surpassed $100 Million in retail ecommerce\u00a0for the second quarter alone. There\u2019s no question that you need to keep your business in front of\u00a0the right audience\u00a0in order to drive sales, which makes it mandatory to cultivate a\u00a0strong online presence. However, regardless of what you may have heard, not all publicity is good publicity. A basic understanding of online brand reputation management can help preserve your company\u2019s image, as well as its bottom line.<\/p>\n

Research Your Existing Online Reputation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first step in understanding your online presence is to find out if one already exists.\u00a0Yelp averages\u00a073 million unique monthly visitors to their desktop site and another 92 million on mobile platforms. There is a very good chance that your business has a Yelp page, whether you created it or not.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that not everyone will have a positive experience, and others may perceive negativity even if they\u2019ve received stellar service. Don\u2019t be discouraged by negative reviews; there will almost always be at least one.<\/p>\n

Respond to Criticism<\/strong><\/p>\n

We live in a world where\u00a067 percent of consumers are influenced by online reviews. Some reviews are fair, and others are profane, but you need to give all of them equal attention.<\/p>\n

An eloquent and sincere response to a bad review can positively influence potential customers\u2019 perception of your business. Respond with remorse and thanks if a legitimate complaint or constructive criticism is shared. Customers need to know that you\u2019re concerned about their experience and take responsibility for mistakes.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, if a negative review is based on lies, don\u2019t be afraid to respond and explain the situation to other customers. Be cautious when you do this, though. Never attack a customer or belittle their opinion. Instead, explain why their review is unreasonable and unjustified. Also leave an email address or phone number where you can be reached and offer them an opportunity to talk to you one-on-one. When you offer a naysayer the chance to respond in person, it adds credibility to your perspective.<\/p>\n

Stay Engaged on Social Media<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have any doubt that a strong social media presence is crucial to your brand\u2019s public image, check out our articles on\u00a0Facebook,\u00a0Pinterest,\u00a0Instagram,\u00a0Youtube,\u00a0Snapchat,\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Twitter. The more involved your business becomes with its social media following, the more opportunities you\u2019ll have to advertise and connect with your audience. This is especially important if you\u00a0target millennials.<\/p>\n

Transparency is also a huge benefit of utilizing social media.<\/p>\n

It was\u00a0found that more than two thirds of consumers in the US, UK, and China rated honesty and transparency as important in deciding which businesses to support.<\/p>\n

Social media platforms can help you create an open dialogue between your business and consumers. They like you on\u00a0Facebook, follow you on\u00a0Twitter,\u00a0Instagram, and\u00a0Snapchat, and subscribe to your channel on\u00a0YouTube. It\u2019s a way of monitoring your online reputation in real time and a channel that can be used to connect with individual customers on a personal level.<\/p>\n

The influence of the internet over our daily lives is only growing stronger. Instant access to information and the ability to transfer it instantaneously across the globe can spell disaster for a brand without a solid plan for online reputation management.\u00a0We\u2019ve spent years perfecting our practices for reputation management,\u00a0<\/u>and we hope you found our beginner\u2019s guide useful.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in need of an online brand reputation management team and would like to learn more than just the basics,\u00a0contact us here. We\u2019ll ensure that your current and future customers view your business in the best possible light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are\u00a0286,942,362 internet users\u00a0in the United States. Of that group, users who are online shoppers spent an estimated $1,804 per person on ecommerce purchases in 2015. Consider the same data for 2016, and you will find that\u00a0we nearly surpassed $100 Million in retail ecommerce\u00a0for the second quarter alone. There\u2019s no question that you need to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[30,21,28,27,20],"class_list":["post-975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-internet-marketing-internet-marketing","tag-best-online-marketing-company-new-delhi","tag-online-marketing-companies","tag-online-marketing-companies-india","tag-search-engine-marketing-india","tag-social-media-marketing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=975"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":977,"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975\/revisions\/977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.webigg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}