In today’s business world, a company’s long-term success or failure is based largely on its online reputation management. Bad reviews and negative social media discussions can easily lead a company into bankruptcy, especially if measures aren’t taken quickly to correct the problems and rebuild the brand.

According to the Reputations Corporation, a Canada-based consultancy group, 72% of consumers say reputation influences their buying decisions; 89% say reputation is a tiebreaker between equal products. A company’s reputation is so important that 80% of employees will even accept less pay to work for a company with an excellent reputation.

How does your company stack up? Are you monitoring and building your brand online — with quality website content, social media marketing, and timely responses to complaints or negative reviews? If not, now’s the time to take reputation and brand management seriously. Even among small businesses in local markets, competition can be fierce. Rather than opening the phonebook, today people pull out their smartphone, type in a keyword phrase and start searching. Companies that rank high in the search engines and have great reviews are the ones getting most of the business. Here are five steps you can take to build your brand and keep your online reputation management solid:

1. Build a top-quality, user-friendly website with great content, images, and easy navigation. Make sure your site is optimized for mobile, so it looks great on any size screen. Create informative webpages — keyword-optimized for the search engines — for all your major products or services. Include a contact form and FAQ. Make the buying decision easy for all your potential new clients or customers.
2. Create a blog and social media pages for your business on at least a few of the top social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest or Instagram. Start adding content, engaging with new friends, and building your online following.
3. Set up a YouTube page. Shoot a few interesting videos about your company and embed the videos on your site. Videos can greatly improve conversion rates and go a long way toward increasing a company’s credibility.
4. Regularly check to see what’s being said about your company — on review sites, social media pages, discussion forums, and anywhere else your company name shows up in the search engines. Respond quickly to resolve complaints or negative reviews. Offer assistance to anyone with questions, and make sure your company is represented well online.
5. Make sure your entire company is focused on providing quality products and incredible service. Train employees to respond with care and concern to every customer inquiry or complaint. Deliver on everything you promise. Take responsibility and apologize when necessary. Commit to going above and beyond your customer’s expectations. In the long run, the extra effort will pay off with excellent customer reviews, positive social media discussions, and referrals!

Your company’s future depends on how well you build and protect your brand. Keep your online reputation strong. Go the extra mile for your customers and clients with superior products and awesome service. Make sure people can easily find you online, and make choosing your company the obvious choice.

Learn more on how to protect your brand & effectively market your business in our newest whitepaper, “Is Your Small Business Ready For Web 3.0?”

Don’t fall behind the 8-ball like most small business marketing; if you plan to compete over the next 5-10 years, you must update how you operate in the modern web.  #marketing360reviews