Did you know that 45% of people say they’re likely to check Yelp before patronizing a business for the first time?
Yelp is just one of the many social media websites that feature customer interactions and reviews—others include Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But knowing that a huge chunk of potential customers are checking out your profiles on these websites should show how important social media reputation management is.
Let’s face it: Your Yelp, Facebook, and Google reviews can make your business—or break it. Fortunately, a little social media savviness can help your company stay on the right side of that equation.
Here are some things to keep in mind about proper social media reputation management.
Monitor the Conversation
If people are saying things about your brand online, you need to know about it.
That might seem like simple common sense, but think about it: Do you have a Google alert set up for your business? Are you sure you own your business pages on all the different social media sites?
And do you check your online reviews and comments daily?
If you aren’t doing all these things at a minimum, then you aren’t just losing the social media reputation management game—you’re forfeiting it.
Fortunately, there are some tools that can help with that. To make things easier for yourself, research different tools and services that can control all your social media pages from one streamlined dashboard.
Consistent Social Media Reputation Management
Too many brands treat social media as an afterthought. This is especially true for small businesses, which may not have the budget to hire someone to handle social media full-time, or even part-time.
Unfortunately, this can often lead to a patchwork, inconsistent and unorganized social media presence. If you’re only posting a couple times a year, and replying to some questions and comments and not others, your existing and potential customers will pick up on that confusion.
If you want your social media presence to help rather than hinder you, then you need to make sure your frequency and messaging on social media are strong and consistent.
Trust the Experts
Online reputation management can easily be a full-time job. But if you don’t have the staff or budget to invest in it, don’t sweat it. Instead, hire a third-party company to handle all your social media management.
Social media marketing companies have the tools, expertise, and experience to ensure that your social media reputation management is top-notch. Life is short, and you don’t need to lose sleep over a bad Yelp review—leave that to someone else!
We’re Here to Help
Research shows that psychologically, it’s easier for people to be rude online than it is in real life. Unfortunately, that means that your business’ online reputation is at risk of falling prey to a wave of nasty reviews or internet backlash.
If you feel out of your depth with social media reputation management, we are here to navigate these rough waters for you. Get in touch today to learn more about our services.