There are more than 30 million small businesses across the United States. So if you’re a business owner or marketer, how in the world can you get your company to stand out from the crowd?

One key way is through online reputation management. With the rise of the internet, it’s increasingly important for your brand to have a positive online presence and this is how you can make it happen.

But as companies engage in reputation management, they often still make mistakes. Here are 3 of the biggest reputation management strategy mistakes companies make so you can avoid them.

Posting Fake Reviews

Perhaps the largest part of managing your online reputation includes overseeing your reviews. When people want to leave comments about your company, they can do it on various sites like Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

Then, when a prospective customer is researching businesses before making a purchase, they can read through these reviews to help them in their decision.

While it can be tempting to stuff your reviews with fake ones, don’t do it. This is a big mistake.

Google’s algorithms are very advanced and can usually tell when you’re posting fake reviews. Also, never leave fake negative reviews on your competitors’ sites. This is ethically wrong.

Not Claiming Listings and Profiles

As previously mentioned, it’s important to have business profiles on all the major platforms like Yelp, Google, Facebook, and any others that are relevant in your specific industry.

But one of the biggest mistakes companies make is not claiming these profiles. And if you do have these profiles, be sure you update the with correct addresses, hours, and contact information.

That way, when someone searches for your business online, they’ll get the right information, leading them closer to making a purchase.

However, many companies aren’t doing this. In fact, more than 50% of local retailers haven’t claimed their Google My Business listing. Don’t make this mistake!

Handling Negative Comments Poorly

Lastly, companies mess up when handling negative comments. Every business gets negative reviews and customers actually expect to see some as they’re searching.

So if you delete every negative review, they’ll be suspicious. What if you ignore them? This also looks bad.

The best thing to do is to respond quickly to each negative comment and offer to solve problems in real ways. This shows potential clients that you truly care for your customers, making it more likely for them to want to do business with you.

Final Thoughts: Reputation Management Strategy Mistakes

There you have it: 3 of the biggest mistakes businesses make when it comes to reputation management strategy. Now that you’ve gone through these, it’s time to evaluate your current process to see where you can get better.

If you’d like some professional assistance managing your online presence, we’re here to help. Contact us today and we’ll be in touch with you shortly. We can’t wait to assist you.

This post was selected as one of the top digital marketing articles of the week by UpCity, a B2B ratings and review company for digital marketing agencies and other marketing service providers.