Reputation Marketing: Crucial practices for the main street every day normal local business owner

Building a Strong Local Reputation

Your local reputation is a powerful asset. It influences customer decisions and builds trust in your business. This guide explores key practices to establish a positive online presence and attract customers.

Building a Strong Online Presence

In today's digital world, your online reputation is crucial for attracting customers. Positive online reviews and a strong social media presence act as social proof, building trust with potential consumers based on the experiences of others. This section explores how to claim and optimize your local business listings, the foundation of a strong online reputation.

Claim and Optimize Local Business Listings

Claiming and optimizing your business listings on key platforms is essential for search engine visibility and reputation management. Here's a starting point:

1. Google My Business Profile: Claim and update your Google My Business profile to ensure accurate business information and positive reviews appear in search results.

2. Industry-Specific Review Platforms: Identify and claim profiles on relevant review platforms in your industry. This allows customers to find you and share their experiences.

By following these steps, you'll establish a strong foundation for online reputation management and customer acquisition.

Encouraging Positive Reviews

Positive online reviews are essential for building trust and attracting new customers. Here are two simple ways to encourage customers to leave feedback:

Simple and Clear Request for Reviews

• In-person Interactions: Thank satisfied customers for their business and politely ask them to leave a review on Google, Yelp, or other relevant platforms.

• Online Follow-up: Send a follow-up email after a purchase or service requesting feedback. Keep the email concise and include a link to your online review profile.

By making it easy and convenient for customers to leave reviews, you increase the likelihood of receiving positive feedback that can boost your online reputation.

Responding to Reviews (Positive and Negative)

Responding to both positive and negative reviews shows you value customer feedback and are engaged with your online reputation.

Acknowledge and Thank Positive Reviews

Taking the time to thank customers for positive reviews lets them know you appreciate their business. A simple thank you can strengthen customer loyalty.

Address Negative Reviews Promptly and Professionally

Negative reviews require a thoughtful response. Here's a two-step approach:

1. Apologize for Inconvenience: Acknowledge the customer's frustration and apologize for any inconvenience they experienced.

2. Outline Resolution Steps: Briefly explain what you'll do to address the issue. If appropriate, you can take the conversation offline to discuss specifics.

By following these steps, you demonstrate that you take customer concerns seriously and strive to resolve problems.

Responding to negative reviews promptly and professionally can help turn a negative experience into a positive one, and shows potential customers that you care about quality service.

Leveraging Positive Reviews in Marketing

Positive online reviews act as social proof, building trust and credibility with potential customers. Here's how you can leverage them in your marketing efforts:

Include Testimonials on Website and Social Media

• Showcase positive quotes and excerpts from reviews on your website's homepage, landing pages, and about us section.

• Create social media posts featuring positive feedback from customers.

By strategically placing testimonials, you can significantly enhance your marketing efforts and attract new customers.

Engaging with the Local Community

Building positive relationships within your community strengthens your reputation and fosters trust. Here are two ways to get involved:

Sponsor Local Events

Sponsoring events like charity runs, festivals, or sports teams demonstrates your commitment to the community. This increases visibility and creates a positive association with your business.

Partner with Local Businesses

Collaborate with complementary businesses for cross-promotion or joint events. This expands your customer base and leverages each other's reputations.

By engaging with the local community, you build goodwill and create a positive perception of your business.

Monitoring Online Reputation

Staying informed about what people say about your business online is crucial for reputation management. Here's a simple way to get started:

Regularly Search for Business Name and Reviews

• Conduct frequent searches for your business name, including variations and common misspellings.

• Look for mentions on review sites, social media platforms, and search engines.

By regularly searching, you can identify potential issues and address them promptly.

Additional Tips

• Consider using social listening tools or Google Alerts for a more comprehensive approach.

• Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business profile and other relevant platforms.

Following these steps will help you stay on top of your online reputation and address any concerns quickly and effectively.

Addressing Negative Feedback Offline

Negative reviews can present an opportunity for improvement. Here's how to use them constructively:

Take Steps to Improve Based on Constructive Criticism

• Identify areas for improvement mentioned in the feedback.

• Analyze the situation and develop a plan to address the issue.

• If the feedback is valid, reach out to the reviewer directly to apologize and explain the steps you're taking to prevent similar issues.

By acknowledging and acting on constructive criticism, you demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction and can potentially turn a negative experience into a positive one.

Additional Tips

• Use the feedback to train your staff and improve your overall customer service processes.

Even negative feedback can be a valuable tool to strengthen your reputation in the long run.

That’s A Lot Of Work & Rainmaker Reputation AI Can Automate A Great Deal Of It For You

We recently introduced ReputationGenius, our system that handles the heavy lifting in gathering reviews and putting Reputation Management to work for your local brand.  The ReputationGenius system will:

1. Remove the toughest friction point with getting customers you ask for reviews, to actually follow thru and get on their mobile phones and clicking the right buttons.  Our system uses preprogammed NFC cards that you swipe on your customers mobile phones that make it EASY for them to find your correct Google Business Profile.  No more dumb questions & awkward instructions on how they can find your brand on Google.  Just swipe the card and bam… done!

2. Respond to those reviews for you with our optimized AI assistant, removing this time consuming headache.  And even better, our AI will respond with optimized responses that include core phrases that signal even more to Google your local brand’s relevance to services people are using in Search, right now.

3. Post optimized screenshots of 5 star reviews you receive onto your local brand’s socials.  This squeezed more value out of your 5 star reviews, by getting them visibility on the social platforms, encouraging others to buy and refer your services to others in their social circles.

4. Build a VIP list:  Use our system to build a VIP list of your best customers to send them future offers and upgrades.  This step RIGHT here can determine a company’s growth, right here.  Most local brands NEVER offer a current customer new offers.  Our system can do it for you!

5. And even more! Our AI assistant can answer calls for you, respond to live chats and DMs in the social platforms, and fire off marketing campaigns to turn those leads into conversations that move the needle in business growth.  Contact us today for all the details.