Online reputation management

These days, a successful business cannot ignore reputation management. The excellent reputation of an online store is a powerful tool for increasing sales and business development. That's why a negative online review can do a lot of damage to your business.

How to build your reputation on the Internet? Some businessmen don't know where to start and how to build their reputation. Here are some tips not just on how to build a reputation but even how to maintain it!

5 sources of online store reputation formation

website

An online store without a well-designed website will never be able to convince the user about the quality of goods. Bad design, defective product pages, outdated contact information, and any flaws in the website can be a blow to your reputation.

Clients come to the website to remove their fear and gain confidence before buying goods. In the 21st century, any successful online store needs a quality e-commerce website.

Even if you started your business on social media or offline, a website becomes an absolute must over time. Because with a website, it is easier to scale and manage a business. Simply put, this is the face of your business.

If you need the help of programmers in creating or maintaining a Magento website, then write to us.

social media

Social media is a great way to express yourself, get closer to your audience, and gain people's trust. Users of the online store check the company's social media to find out how active the company is.

Please note that abandoned social media pages give the impression that the online store doesn't work or is irresponsible in its duties. Having abandoned social media is far worse for your reputation than their absence.

Take care of SMM. It is vital to have a stable growing store page on social media. Quite often, special employees are responsible for the business's reputation on those platforms.

Social media and online stores complement each other. These platforms work with potential customers, prompt responses, and hold promotions to attract the target audience.

online review sites

Such websites seriously affect the reputation of any online store. Even large stores can suffer from negative ratings and reviews spread over the Internet. A high rating online store from a review site inspires users to interact. Review sites have become quite popular, and when you search for "brand+review," they always appear on the first page.

Everyone can share their opinion with readers, talk about the experience of purchasing any product or using services and tell about their shortcomings and advantages.

Experienced authors try to make their reviews as useful and practical as possible. The consumer will be able to choose the best products on the e-commerce market with their help.

media

When you talk about yourself on a website or social media, this information is often perceived as self-promotion. But everything changes when independent media speaks about you. Mentions in the media increase the credibility of the online store. These can be thematic sites or well-known blogs that have long been on a par with the media. Any laudatory mentions on them become a huge plus for reputation.

forums

There are many communities on the network on a variety of topics. The essence of forums is the exchange of opinions, disinterested help, and communication with like-minded people. On the forum, you can get information that the client will not find in books, instructions, or on the store's website because people share genuine experiences there.

Youtube

YouTube is the most popular video platform globally and one of the most popular resources on the entire Internet. Product reviews are a popular format on this site. YouTube remains the most promising platform for business development in the coming years.

Factors that affect the reputation of an online store:

  • popularity;
  • reliability;
  • reviews.

    • Popularity

    Search engines display web pages of the most popular online stores when people search for a product on the Internet. Such stores are well known by network users and have their accounts on social media with many subscribers.

    Reliability

    This parameter implies, first of all, the mandatory indication of contact information: the address and phone numbers of the store. Also, it is worth considering the provision of payment options both by credit card and in cash upon receipt of the goods. And don't forget to provide a variety of shipping options.

    Reviews

    Every third reader of this article has left a review at least once. No matter what: the employer, the new iPhone, the service, etc. Reviews work for businesses around the clock.

    Most people read other buyers' reviews before buying a product in an online store. Moreover, both the number of reviews and the quality are essential. Exceptionally positive reviews cast doubt on their integrity, and the prevalence of negative thoughts indicates a poor product or service quality.

    Basic steps to manage the reputation of an online store

    Step 1. Data collection (analysis of the state of the brand). Try to study search results, comments on social media, reviews on Google maps, etc. These are exactly where your customers express their joy or sadness from communicating with your brand.

    To determine the level of brand reputation, we recommend using the simplest metrics in the form of the number of engaged users on social media and the number of activities under posts that compare your brand and your competitors.

    Step 2. Assessment of competitors. It makes sense to pay attention to their customer acquisition methods, positioning, and various details they successfully use in their daily activities.

    Step 3. Definition of goals. You need to set clear goals to achieve, for example: receive 4 comments under each post on social media.

    Step 4. Definition of working mechanisms. Here, start working on the phased achievement of goals, determining the work methods to improve the business's reputation.

    Magento reputation

    What creates a positive brand image?

    1. Honest feedback about the company's products or services. No need to artificially influence reviews; this is a critical mistake. Better work on your improvement and upgrade the quality of the same products and services.
    2. Sincere advice. There is nothing better and more valuable than a loyal customer. Ask him to recommend his favorite brand in return for receiving bonuses or discounts.
    3. Useful articles about the brand that can help its audience solve similar problems. Learn to be exciting and valuable to your customers.
    4. Public communication of the brand with its customers. Consumers like openness; it removes all psychological barriers and makes the brand even closer to its audience.
    5. Fast responses. It's not enough to be active. It is essential to monitor the brand's performance, namely constantly, to analyze the quantity and quality of comments and responses from customers and immediately give answers for it.
    6. Work with problem areas. The world is changing so fast that some marketing gimmicks lose importance as quickly as the ice cream melts in the summer heat. Therefore, you need to have time to adapt to any changes and react fast.

    The main methods for working with an online store:

    Search Engine Reputation Management

    It is the optimization of search engine results for the brand's needs, and the main goal is to issue neutral and positive brand mentions on the first page for the key query. The main thing is not to miss negative reviews and respond to them on time.

    Social Media Marketing

    It works with the target audience of the brand on social media. The main goal is to evoke a reaction from people. It is where the community of loyal consumers is forming to share the company's mission.

    Ambassador Marketing

    It means working with brand ambassadors to publicly spread their loyalty to you on websites with the target audience. Quite often, this direction involves cooperation with bloggers.

    PR Marketing

    It is a brand's public communication through official representatives from among its employees.

    Hidden Marketing

    It is a hidden marketing impact aimed at increasing the involvement and loyalty of the target audience (TA). Its essence is not advertising promotion when information is conveyed to the consumer so that he does not even suspect that he has become an influence object.

    Agents of influence work in social media, forums, blogs, and comments under articles, reviews, and Q&A services. They advise, discuss, compare and ask about the subject of promotion, manage dialogues, and form an opinion so skillfully that, sometimes, it is impossible to guess that hidden marketing work is taking place here and now.

    Conclusion

    Good brands' reputations make them attractive to investors and clients. In addition, it contributes to increasing financial profits, obtaining a stable position in the market, and also provides new opportunities for expanding areas of activity. All these thanks to the excellent brand awareness and trust of the public.

    Therefore, you need to work on the image constantly. Always keep track of what customers write about you. Analyze feedback to find weaknesses and fix them.

    It is necessary to start work on creating a brand image and improving corporate reputation as early as possible to bring the company to new levels faster and more efficiently.