If you plan on running a business for long, you http://marketing.about.com/od/strategytutorials/a/so...

1. Showing Your Good Side: Idea Of Track record Management
If you plan on running a business for long, you
http://marketing.about.com/od/strategytutorials/a/socialmediamktg.htm best make sure that you're
working towards building a solid reputation. If not, other businesses and customers in bad moods
will eat you alive. Not that you're going to be totally despised, but it's just the facts of life. You must
absolutely learn how to manage the reputation of your business.
Posting information on social media sites is important to your business's reputation. You should post
several times a week at the very least to effectively run a marketing campaign. If you find that
posting on social media sites is overwhelming, consider hiring an assistant to make your posts for
you.
Make sure that at least several of your business web pages are optimized for your business name.
You want Google to recognize your business homepage as the authoritative Internet site about your
business. You want to have the number one search position for your business name, not number two
or three behind a Wikipedia article or some blog. Make sure that your website is the first listing
someone sees when they Google your brand.
Watch your online presence. Negative remarks can move quickly up a search result for your
business. This can help you https://www.facebook.com/socialcentiv make sure this information
doesn't reach the top. Try doing this a couple of times each month.
Take your time and think carefully before responding to any complaints. By keeping cool and
carefully thinking of how you will respond online can keep your reputation intact. Before posting a
reply to a complaint, read your answer several times. If possible, have an employee read the
response to ensure it is appropriate.
Try looking into reputation management services. These services do cost a bit of money, but they
can help you start a reputation, repair a reputation, or maintain a reputation. These are
professionals. They can watch online activity for you, and they can help you both avoid and fight a
negative reputation.

2. When people give you negative reviews, you should try your best to address them without admitting
any fault. As soon as you admit responsibility for things, you will look incompetent in the eyes of
your customers. It is best to apologize for their dissatisfaction, and not for any incident in particular.
Check online for false information about your business. As long as you can show solid proof that this
information is libelous, most site owners will have no problems removing it.
Exercise caution when sharing personal information on the Internet. You don't know how it'll be
used in the future, so watch out. Even if you only have a small number of people visiting your social
media sites, you still should be careful.
You set the expectations of your customers. This will include being honest with the clients that you
have. Being transparent in business transactions fosters a good reputation.
When you are responding to a negative comment or review about your company, make sure that you
use a professional tone in a respectful way. Your goal is to win over people to your side. If you come
across sounding disrespectful to the original poster, you may risk making the matter worse for your
company.
You should stay on your toes when it comes to protecting yourself against a bad business reputation.
Even if you have done everything you can to fix your current issues, there will always be more in the
future. keeping an eye on things will ensure that they will not get out of hand.
If your company has a negative review online, do not overreact. One of the worst things a company
can do is respond to a negative comment or complaint with anger. Also, do not try to retaliate
against whoever posted the complaint. These types of reaction are not going to solve the problem
and will only draw more attention to all the negativity.
You might get angry when you read negative commentary that has been posted about your company.
The best approach to take in this situation is to respond with just the facts that show that what was
said was not true. As people read both views, they will be able to judge for themselves who is the
more accurate poster.
If you want to improve the reputation of your company, consider getting more involved with your
community doing volunteer work. Consumers like companies that take social responsibility seriously.
By donating your time or money to your local community, you are putting a positive spin on your
company's reputation, and customers will see that.
Take some time when you respond to negative things about your presence online, yourself, or the
product you represent. Be sure that you are familiar with the whole situation before answering.
Substantiate your position with facts. This will build credibility with your customers.
To stay on top of your online reputation, set up a Google alert. You simply specify the keywords for
the search engine to monitor, such as "Bob's Store" and you will receive an email alert whenever it is
discussed. You can follow the trail of talk to the source and introduce yourself, if appropriate and
necessary.
Thoroughly investigate the people you hire to work for your company, because they can have such a
huge impact on the reputation of your business. It's worth the price you pay to discover unsavory
details about potential employees, rather than have them come to light at some point in the future.
Be sure that you are confident about those employees who will represent your business.

3. Listen and respond to people, if you've got a business reputation on the line. Many companies have
been criticized for ignoring suggestions from their customers, and they've paid dearly for it with the
loss of business and loyalty. When customers take the time to talk to you, act like you hear them!
Now that you read the above article, understanding what it takes to have a good reputation in the
business world is a good first step towards being successful. Without the proper reputation
management skills, eventually you will make a critical mistake that will hurt you in business. Use the
advice from above to help you get far in the business world.