5 Reputation Management Pitfalls To Avoid

5 Reputation Management Pitfalls To Avoid

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Its been said that building a reputation is like building real estate. It takes years to erect a new building and only moments to bring it all down. Building a strong reputation online takes time and a lot of attention to details. Yet one wrong move, one mistake can bring it all to the ground.

These are five of the most common and most deadly mistakes that people make when it comes to online reputation management. For the sake of your brand and your reputation, avoid these mistakes at all costs.

1. Incongruent Brand Message

What happens when you say one thing, an employee says something else and a reporter claims they heard still something else said? The result is confusion and eroded trust.
What happens when you say you stand for one thing, but your actions actually lead people to believe something else? Or what happens if your brand, graphic and web design elements dont mesh with your target audience or your brand message?

The answer to all these questions is the same. Having an incongruent brand message will destroy your reputation. Make sure that every message in every form that comes out of your brand is congruent.

2. Ignoring or Waiting to Respond to Bad PR

Bad PR almost never goes away on its own without doing major damage. Some people advocate trying to wait out PR storms This is not a good idea. Waiting it out gives the impression that your company either doesnt care or doesnt have a handle on the situation.
Instead, respond as honestly and as quickly as you can to any negative PR that comes it. It might be more painful and it might involve being humble for a period of time, but its better than the alternative.

3. Fake Reviews

Do you think you can spot a fake review online? Chances are, you can. And so can everyone else.

Posting fake reviews or fake testimonials online is a big nono. The moment anyone finds out that you posted fake reviews, thats the end of your credibility. Period.

Instead of taking the shortcut, aim to earn real positive reviews. You can incentivize real people to provide real reviews. But never, ever post fake reviews yourself.

4. Not Paying Attention to Word of Mouth

When youre paying attention to reputation management, it can be very tempting to focus just on press coverage, bloggers, online reviews and so on. However, your reputation is influenced just as much, if not more by what people say to one another than anything thats published.

Of course, theres no way to really manage or filter what people are going to say to one another. The best way to make sure people say positive things about your company to other people is to provide exceptional service with top notch products.

5. Responding to Bashers

Legitimate complaints and accusations backed with facts should never be ignored. However, personal attacks or attacks against your brand that have no basis shouldnt be lent credibility.

Some people try and respond to every single negative comment or attack online. This simply isnt realistic, nor is it effective. Some people will attack you just because they disagree with you, or just because they have too much spare time.

The bottom line is, protect your brand. Defend against valid complaints and mitigate real customer concerns. However, if some people are making baseless claims against your brand, often the best way to diffuse them is to just ignore them.

Knowing how to distinguish between a real PR or customer service issue and a time waster is an important skill.

These are five of the most common reputation management pitfalls to avoid. Remember: Building your reputation takes time, but taking it down can happen in hours. Avoid these mistakes at all costs.

About the Author:
These days your online reputation can be damaged in a blink of an eye by negatives reviews. Your company needs reliable online reputation management services plan in place. Learn what this plan MUST include. Please visit:
http://www.optimusinternetconsulting.com



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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