In Good Taste: 4 Finger-Lickin' Good Strategies for a Palatable Online Reputation

Think about the last time you were going out for dinner and wanted to try a new restaurant.

Why did you choose that particular spot?! 

If you're like most of us, you probably searched online or looked at several review sites for a venue with flattering reviews and therefore, an excellent reputation. 

While having a positive online reputation is great for restaurants (who rely heavily on favorable reviews to pull customers in), does it really matter for your business too, even if you're not in the same type of industry? The long and short of it is, YES. Absolutely.

At PR Whores our reputation management team knows that today's customers, as well as new & repeat business, rely look to the wonderful World Wide Web for hunting down the products and services they need. 

They also utilize the internet to:
- peruse consumer review platforms
- check out your new promotions on social media
- read through your web site to formulate an opinion about what they find and who they ultimately purchase from. 

But this isn't just the case for restaurants, so don’t kid yourself... They're even doing this with YOUR business! 

With that being said, here are 4 simple strategies for building a positive online reputation so the prospects and customers who find your products or services online will have plenty to rave about themselves when it comes to BUYING FROM YOU:

1. Boast about your products & services with a BLOG.
By having a blog that is regularly updated with articles that cover everything from what your company is doing (PR) to how you use systems or even observances about the markets or products helps in establishing you as an expert. The key here is that articles need to be regular – at least twice a week – and relevant to the reader.

2. Reward those who leave RAVE REVIEWS.
Reviews from your actual customers/clients/patrons are incredibly important (we can't stress this enough). A recent study published on Reputation.com revealed that a whopping 92% of internet users read internet reviews when shopping for something online. To go even further, an astonishing 89% of users trust online reviews...which is why having a multitude of them accessible on the web is so crucial. 

Why not encourage customers to review your products and/or services on various online review sites (such as Google Reviews, Yelp, Kudzu or CitySearch). In exchange, offer them an incentive such as a FREE sample of your newest product line or a discount off one of your special services!

3. Generate some PUBLICITY.
You aren't going to establish an optimal online reputation by doing nothing (we know, it's hard to believe). This means you’ll have to work at it and ultimately, GET IT OUT THERE. Do this by:

- writing feature articles or press releases
- generating frequent blogs about your business to inform readers about why they need your products/services
- doing some web advertising (such as Google AdWords or web banners) to promote your company digitally as much as possible.

4. Become more active on the SOCIAL scene.
78% of consumers believe it is significantly important to look up information about a company's product/service online before actually interacting or doing business with them. If you have an active & visible web presence for your brand (as well as your specific products or services), you are more likely to be found and be perceived as having a better reputation than your competition, especially if they're not as easy to find online as YOU are.

Rome wasn't built in a day... and neither will your reputation. You are going to need to work hard on it with daily updates, continuous monitoring and most of all, patience. Many experts agree it can take at least 3 months to see any results, and possibly years to see a truly solid online reputation established for your brand (even if you're not a restaurant).

For information about establishing a strong online reputation for your business with "in good taste" CLICK HERE. 
--The PR Whores


Blog content created for PR Whores by Escaype Enterprises LLC.

The Cold Shoulder: Why Ignoring Social Media Complaints Isn't Such a Hot Idea

It's amazing that even in today’s social media -savvy business environment, there are still big companies out there which fail to engage with their customers... particularly those who are frustrated or unhappy. 

A variety of research shows ignoring those customers is the worst possible strategy.
One extremely significant example (if you haven't heard of this already) is “United Breaks Guitars, But not the Silence.” This infamous incident took place in 2008 when a tweet was recently sent to United Airlines by a customer via social media, but was never answered (Dave Carroll of the Sons of Maxwell band claimed United Airlines broke his $3,500 guitar while traveling from Halifax to Nebraska).

There was no response, zero acknowledgement of the post, or anything so much as a direct message re-directing the customer's complaint... even though multiple tweets were posted in association with the United Airlines name. After publicizing his negative experience online for an entire year using social media, the company's failure to respond to Carroll reportedly resulted in astronomical damage to the United Airlines brand... as in, a whopping $180 million in lost business.

For a multitude of understandable reasons many companies choose not to engage with complainers like Dave Carroll mainly because they think there's no upside to such conversations, they don't feel they can actually fix the problem(s) at hand, or because they refuse to spend any money in order to alleviate the situation. A recent survey shows 4 out of 5 consumer complaints are currently ignored, and here are some noteworthy facts about what can happen as a result:

- 82% of those surveyed admit they will stop doing business with a company based on just one poor experience.

- About 89% of consumers reportedly began doing business with a competitor following poor customer service or a less than favorable experience with a company.

- 21% of complaints which receive a response tend to have a more optimistic attitude upon being recognized.

- 46% of customers report feeling pleased, merely by seeing/reading a response regarding their complaint(s).

- 22% of people actually post a positive comment about a company or brand after receiving some type of acknowledgement of their publicized concern(s).

Keeping Your Current Customers
The drive to maintain and acquire new customers has always been paired with the mantra, “It is much more profitable to keep an existing customer than to go looking for a new one.” Although this seems to be wise advice, it's unfortunately often ignored in practice. 

Businesses which fail to respond to complaints in a timely manner can risk losing the same customers they've spent large sums of money to earn them in the first place. In fact, statistics show even when the problem is no longer fixable, a simple apology can still turn a negative attitude into a positive one. 

If your brand or company could use some assistance with effective reputation management CLICK HERE to learn more about our services NOW. 

Here's to spreading a warm message when it comes to your brand, instead of giving the cold shoulder!
--The PR Whores Online Reputation Management Staff

Three's Company: 3 Ways Medical Practices Can Combat Negative Online Reviews

The internet has brought with it a sea of change in how people get their information and how they judge products and services- and physicians are not immune. 

A physician's reputation was once established and passed along by word of mouth, but now it can be greatly influenced by what patients are posting on the web. Now anyone can "Google" a name to know more about a healthcare provider and when they do... more than likely the links to several online review sites (reflecting both good and bad opinions) are going to come up at the top of the search.

Here are 3 simple suggestions medical practices can easily implement a few minutes each day to take care of those not-so-nice negative reviews:

1. Respond to the complaint online.

Some sites give you the opportunity to comment under the review or extend the conversation. You can address the review directly and if the negative reviews are on yelp, you can create a free business account and you can message the customers publicly. Identify yourself, explain your perspective, address inaccuracies (if any), apologize (only if warranted) or mention you will consider the suggestion. Respond professionally, with compassion and make suggestions that will improve the patient’s next visit. 

2. Ask patients to review your practice online.

By doing this it has been found that 80% of the patients are more likely to leave positive reviews. But they may not think they will do it unless you recommend or suggest it. So encourage all your patients to leave their feedback on a review site (such as CitySearch / Yelp / Angie's List, etc.) and you will likely see more positive reviews.

3. Identify the patients who leave negative reviews and discuss it with them.

We know it's extremely easy for people to be very angry and critical online. They can also be fairly anonymous and don’t have to say anything to you directly. If you can identify this person through their negative reviews, however, consider contacting them directly to address their concerns. 

Sometimes just reaching out to a dissatisfied patient can calm the situation (because they'll definitely recognize you care after hearing their complaint). You may be able to explain your perspective and diffuse the situation well enough that he/she might just be willing to remove that negative review (which was posted in a sheer moment of frustration on their end).

Oh and don't forget... You can always make use of your own company web site and social media platforms to showcase all the positive reviews and testimonials from your patients. The more content you publish on the web promoting your medical practice in a positive light, the more likely your current and prospective patients are to believe the good over the bad & ugly.

For more information about effective online reputation management for your business visit PR Whores by clicking here.