Reputation has always been important for businesses but in the online world it is more important than ever before. It is in fact for this reason why so many businesses look to outsource this by hiring reputation management companies and if you look at some reputation management consultant reviews you will see just how beneficial their clients find this service. An online reputation is notoriously difficult to earn, but it can be absolutely destroyed in no time at all, which is why it makes sense to have a rep management company on board to help when the worst occurs. If you have a solid online reputation don’t get complacent, this is how easy it is to have it destroyed.
Guilt by Association
Let’s say that a business has a partnership with another company, a mutually beneficial relationship which you have told your customers about. Now let’s assume that the other party has been found guilty of wrongdoing, this is something which is certainly going to damage your reputation. When people search online for that company they will invariably see your company name alongside them, and people will assume guilt by association. This can be resolved of course but by the time that you take action it may very well be too late to fix the damage that has been done.
Ill Timed Post
Many rep management companies are called in to try and manage a crisis after a member of the company has posted something on social media which they really shouldn’t. These things can go viral very quickly and what was originally considered to be an innocent post, can very quickly turn into a firestorm. Content can go viral in a matter of minutes and if that content is negative, then your company could have its reputation in tatters within a couple of hours. Social media can be a brilliant tool for boosting your reputation, but it can also be something which destroys it in no time at all.
Reviews
Review sites are heavily used by people when they are deciding which company to use and if your business has negative reviews written about it then this can do some serious harm to your reputation. Let’s assume you have a restaurant and diners have been having poor experiences there, if a potential customer even thinks that there is a chance of a bad experience they are not going to come to your restaurant, and little by little your reputation will be completely destroyed. These reviews may or may not be true but if you leave them unanswered then it will be assumed that they are. Customers want to know that they are going to have a great experience in your business and this is why they will shun you if others have already spoken negatively about your company.
Any of these situations can take place and this is why having a rep management company on your side makes so much sense.
