In this piece, contributing writer Brandy Thomson offers some advice on how business owners should be mindful of the impact that online trust with customers can have, both positive and negative. With so many consumers relying on information on the Internet to make buying decisions before even trying out a company’s products and/or services, this is something that business leaders can’t afford to get wrong.
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Grow Your Business by Building Online Trust
By Brandy Thomson
On the Internet, bad news travels at fast a poor review on Yelp, a negative blog post or a less-than-favorable photo will spread before you and you and your business can forge a defense. This volatility demands you build a strong online rapport with potential and existing customers to help protect your business from these small-yet-deadly outcries. Here are three keys ways to help you develop tight-knit online relationships with potential and existing customers:
Be Accessible and Available
One of the best ways to prevent the wrath of negative reviews is to be easily accessible and available to your customers. This brings a much-needed personable feel to a business, enabling customers and reviewers to better see you as a person rather than just another brand name. Know your customers listen, connect and engage them. They’ll reward you with loyalty.
Make sure every contact form, phone number, email address, etc. that you list enables customers to easily leave feedback. Consider offering customers the option to leave anonymous feedback, so they have a fear-free way to vent their frustrations. In the feedback form, indicate the customers feedback is appreciated and will be communicated to upper management or the business owner. When customers feel their voice will be heard, they have little reason to go on an online rant or leave scathing comments on a social media or review website.
Be Proactive
Consider checking out a reputation management company such Reputation.com to protect your online presence. Not only do they help manage online business ratings and reviews, they can boost your Google search results and help direct traffic to your site. If you’re battling negative hype or misinformation, online reputation management will help negative news drop off the first page of search results by creating and promoting positive content.
Also, remember that it’s standard procedure now for people to perform their own online investigations about a business and the people running it. Make this easy on your customers by having a complete social media profiles on sites like LinkedIn, and have your management team and employees who have customer contact sign up for these sites as well. Ensure their bios and personal histories convey competence and professionalism.
Be Transparent
People get upset when they dont know all the facts. If there is any perception that your business may be hiding something, this can be cause for rumors and negative reviews. Why not build trust online by revealing information your competitors would typically keep behind the scenes? An online presence that conveys there’s nothing for to hide improves how people perceive the business. Include details on what its like to do business with you at all points of customer contact, and encourage video, audio and guest blog posts. Add testimonials and quotes from customers who have worked with your business that will convey the genuine attention to detail you wish your customers to take from your business.
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Brandy Thomson has been a consultant for moguls and a few celebrities. Now that she’s running her own talent agency, she loves spreading her wisdom online.
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