Are you listening to your customers? How to keep a pulse on your online reputation

Are you “listening” to your customers? Well, of course, you are – we hope. But, what’s with the quotation?marks?you ask? There’s a different kind of?online?“listening” happening these days.

Before the World Wide Web became what it is today, customers called, asked for a manager, or wrote a letter to share their experience with a business – good or bad. Times have changed, and customers now have multiple ways to get?their?attention: social media, online reviews, blogs, etc.?

With so much information coming to us at warp speed, it can be nearly impossible to catch, let alone address, everything. That’s why?it’s?essential to have an?Online Reputation Management?Plan. Your ORMP?outlines the strategic process used to collect?and sort online?customer feedback?to address issues when they’re big enough to see but still small enough to solve.?If an issue were to become “viral,” then your ORMP?would also provide a guide for how to manage accordingly.

Unsure of where to begin? Try these three tactics:

• Engage with your customer’s?social media?feedback. Sometimes a customer just wants to be heard.?When you come across a comment?or direct message, acknowledge it. If the customer’s experience wasn’t great, take steps to make it right. More than?50% of customers?expect a business to respond to negative feedback within a week.
• Respond to what’s being said on review sites like Yelp and Google. Nothing encourages conversation and builds “like and trust” more than a brand that engages with its?customers’?feedback. It can also significantly influence customer decisions –?57% of consumers say they are not likely to use a business that doesn’t respond to reviews.
• Don’t stay within your own social bubble.??Online conversations about your company don’t just happen on your business page or website – they happen everywhere, and you won’t always be alerted via a tag. It’s critical to have tools that help you monitor what’s being said. With posts “going viral” and media choosing to pursue more clickbait-style stories,?social listening?can help prevent issues from becoming a crisis.?

Word of mouth has always played a key role in contributing to a business’s bottom line, but its relevancy has grown even larger as the digital landscape has evolved. According to Bright Local’s 2024 Consumer Review Survey,?91% of consumers say local reviews impact their overall perceptions of big brands somehow.

Remember, showing that you are listening?and engaged can win back a customer, and?maybe even?bring in a new one.

If you have questions or want to learn more about Online Reputation Management, send us a message – we’re happy to listen.