Are you taking steps to protect the reputation of your brand and business? Reputation is the cornerstone of any company — and for good reason. It’s a fact of business life: Customers, employees and vendors judge your brand based on their experiences with it. And they’re vocal about that judgment, whether in person or online.
The stronger your reputation, the more customers will trust and want to do business with you and that will increase your revenues. That’s why reputation management matters. A single bad experience could destroy all that goodwill in an instant. Let’s look at some ways to protect your brand.
Monitor what people say about your business or brand
To know whether your brand is being tarnished, you must know what people say about your business and brand.
There are two distinct areas that require attention: negative comments and complaints about your business and positive comments and praise for you and/or your business.
How can you monitor the situation? Here are four steps to take:
• Monitor social media networks
• Run Google Alerts on key words or phrases related to your brand
• Subscribe to online news sites that cover industry news and trends related to your business
• Read online reviews posted on sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor
By doing these things, you’ll stay on top of what people say about your business.
Keep an eye on social networks
Social media is another effective way to monitor what people say about your brand and organization, but also to keep tabs on what they’re saying about your competitors and industry. No business can afford not to be on social media these days.
What if you don’t have the time? Many companies use social listening tools, such as Hootsuite or Brandwatch, to monitor mentions of their brand name on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. This allows them to respond quickly when necessary and engage customers in a more personal way. Taking this approach is a significant time saver.
Respond promptly to any concerns or complaints
Customer service is your most valuable asset. Respond promptly to concerns or complaints, so your customers know you care about them. A quick response also shows you’re concerned and respond quickly to issues. Customers appreciate that they’re dealing with someone who solves problems rather than creating them. And finally, responding quickly demonstrates that your company has excellent customer service and leadership skills — two qualities vital for maintaining trust in today’s marketplace.
Be transparent, too. Customers want honesty from businesses, especially when they spend their hard-earned money on products or services they need or want. If there’s bad news about a product recall or an upcoming price increase, let customers know as soon as possible, so they can make informed decisions about their purchases. You can’t control what people say about you, but you can control how you respond and react. Take advantage of that.
Be open to change
In today’s market, companies need flexibility to stay competitive. The way you do things now might not be the way you’ll do them 10 years from now, but if you refuse to change, you could be left behind by competitors who don’t have such rigid rules in place. This applies not only to your products but also to customer service policies and marketing strategies.
How does this relate to protecting your brand? If there’s something about your product or service that needs improvement, change it as soon as possible (ideally, before there’s negative media coverage). You’ll appear more trustworthy if you can demonstrate openness to fixing things rather than trying to prove yourself right.
Build positive relationships with employees, customers, and vendors
As the owner of a business, you should be aware of how your employees feel about your company. If they are engaged and happy at work, they’ll protect and maintain its reputation. Employees who are dissatisfied or disengaged will speak negatively about your brand in person and on social media platforms, which can lead to negative press coverage for your company.
To ensure positive relationships with all stakeholders in your business, consider investing in employee training programs such as leadership development classes or online courses from Coursera. These courses teach soft skills like communication skills, problem-solving techniques, or effective time management methods (e.g., learning how to manage emails effectively). They can improve employee engagement levels while also boosting productivity levels across departments within organizations.
Conclusion
Reputation is one of the most valuable assets a company can have. It’s an expression of the values and beliefs that are important to the business and its customers. A positive reputation builds trust with new customers and keeps existing ones coming back for more.
If you want to protect your brand’s reputation, start by learning what others say about you. Then, take steps to address issues that arise and work toward improving your customer service and transparency.
References:
“The Importance Of Brand Reputation: 20 Years To Build, Five … – Forbes.” 27 Dec. 2019, .forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/12/27/the-importance-of-brand-reputation-20-years-to-build-five-minutes-to-ruin/.
“The effect of corporate brand reputation on brand attachment and brand ….” .tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23311975.2017.1360031.
