I work with many businesses in trying to increase their levels of success and profitability and something which I am always astounded by is the lack of importance which many give to their online reputation. This is not the case with online businesses of course but brick and mortar businesses are often completely unaware of the power of a positive online reputation.
In fact it is for this reason why so many will use reputation management companies and the reputation management consultant reviews are full of glowing reports about the benefits which companies have found after using such a service. If you run a high street store or any other type of brick and mortar business, here is why your online reputation matters.
Organic Search
We are seeing a growing trend of consumers using organic searches to find products and services in their local area, and this is the same for both online and offline businesses. Now imagine that you have a terrible online reputation and a consumer finds your business when they are looking on a search engine for a company like yours, the first thing they will see is negativity and just like that you have lost a possible sale.
Competition
There are more businesses in the world than ever before and what that means is that there is more competition across every sector than we have ever seen before. When a customer is looking for a business they will decide on one from the other based on the finest of margins. And so if the choice is between your business with a poor online reputation, and the other has a good online reputation, who do you think the consumer is going to put their faith in?
Marketing
Marketing is essential for every business in order to drum up more awareness and bring in more sales. It is always recommended that you invest money into a marketing strategy but if you do that when you have a poor online reputation, then all you will be doing is showcasing the negativity, completely wasting your money in the process. Before you even consider starting a marketing campaign you have to make sure that your house is in order and that you have a solid online reputation, otherwise there is just no point in doing it.
Profitability and Growth
In conclusion the effects of not having a solid reputation online is that you will be constantly losing sales, losing market share and ultimately losing money. A negative online reputation is incredibly powerful and this is why it is so vital that you focus your efforts on it. Any money spent improving your online reputation will come back by way of sales, if you bury your head in the sand however and don’t think that it’s important, you can wave goodbye to any type of growth or success.
Don’t forget about what people are saying about you online, it does matter.
Author
