Why your online reputation is so important
And how to maintain a good reputation, you can read about in this sixth blog in the series of seven blogs on offering the best service.
Customers are increasingly sharing their experiences online
They show photos of products on Instagram or Pinterest, express complaints on Twitter, share high-profile opinions on Facebook and leave positive or negative reviews on review sites. And all those at the expense or benefit of the (online) reputation of your brand or organization.
Send to reviews and social media
More satisfied or enthusiastic customers mean better reviews and positive expressions on social media. And that in turn leads to an improvement in your online image. Because consumers value reviews and real customer experiences more than advertisements from a company itself. Research also shows the following figures on how customers today are influenced (online) by recommendations from others, and what impact they have on purchases:
- 20 to 50% of consumers are motivated to purchase by recommendations from others
- 85% of consumers say they read up to 10 reviews before trusting a company
- 83% of consumers indicate that they are influenced in their purchasing decision by online reviews
- Only 5% of consumers make a purchase after reading a negative review
Online reviews thus have a major influence on purchases from customers. And basically, reviews are nothing less than the online version of word-of-mouth advertising. But usually only the complaints or very positive feedback are broadly reported. Customers who are satisfied or enthusiastic are less inclined to leave an online review to express themselves positively on social media. This may lead to a skewed image of your brand or organization.
How can you influence that online reputation
As a marketer, manager, or an entire organization, you can take the following steps to improve your online reputation:
- Send complaints directly to incident managers / customer service for follow-up.
- Ask customers with positive feedback to share it on Facebook and Twitter.
- Ask the true promoters / fans and loyal customers to post a review on a platform of your choice. Be selective and make it easy to share.
- Ensure that you immediately show a positive image of your product or brand via search engines. Search engines play an increasingly important role in people’s buying habits. Almost half of all consumers first look for reviews before they seriously consider buying a product. Search engines are increasingly showing more reviews, so it’s very important that these reviews give a positive image of your brand and company.