Did you know 85% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation? And, 49% of consumers say a business needs at least a 4-star rating before they feel confident in working with them. That means that no matter what type of business you have reputation, reviews, or stars are important to your success.
You’ve heard this a hundred times, right? You work your checklist to manage your reputation by responding to reviews, posting updates on Google My Business, and asking current customers for reviews. But have you ever tried managing your business reputation with the help of your social media platforms?
With 3.2 billion people on social media, it’s crucial to look at social media to build your reputation. People are turning to social media for so much more than sharing cute pictures; they’re discussing and researching their local businesses, too. So it’s extra important for you to take advantage of social when it comes to reputation. Here are four ways to use social that can help build your local businesses reputation and inspire your reputation management strategy.
1. Building Trust with Social
Trust is the name of the game in reputation. To put it simply, people don’t want to buy things from a business they don’t trust.
A great way to build trust before you ever meet your customers is on your social media platforms. Social allows consumers to get to know the humans behind the business and the logo, making them trust you more. Here are some examples to help build trust and authenticity with social media:
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- Live Action Take them around with you for a day in the life by going live on Facebook or Instagram.
- Share Educational Resources So share some tips that might be useful to your target audience. If they find your tips helpful, prospects can be more inclined to trust you.
- Be Unique No one wants to believe in a brand that just copies and pastes, so make your posts unique and interesting every time.
63% of people are more likely to buy from a brand they think is authentic. So, building up your trust online will get you more customers and improve your reputation.
2. Reply to People on Social
Yikes, that bums us out. What’s going on, Jordan? ^FS
— United Airlines (@united) October 9, 2016
Businesses are taking to social media to address negative reviews, as United Airlines did above, and it works! 7 out of 10 people said that when a business replies to a negative review, it changes their opinion of the business for the better.
How do you incorporate social in replying to those reviews? First things first, check who is mentioning your business on social platforms. What are they saying about it? Good reviews? Negative remarks?
Once you find customer feedback, reply to them publicly and then message them privately for negative reviews. People post reviews because they want someone to hear them. Knowing what to say to a review is tough, especially if a customer shared negative feedback. But similar to when you respond to Google reviews, make sure you are giving your customer an empathetic response to show you are listening and open to improving their experience.
3. Make It Easy for Followers to Give You a Review
The easiest way to improve your reputation score is to get more positive reviews for your business. And the simplest way to reach a lot of people is to put something out on social media for your followers to notice.
Ask people which product of yours was their favorite, then make it easy for them by linking out to your number one review spot. This makes the audience engaged with your post, and easy for them to right then and there write your business a positive review.
Another way to receive positive reviews through social media is to go through your mentions and notifications. See if anyone has talked about your product on social media. The same way you replied to the negative review on social media, reply to the positive remark too! Then, ask them if it would be okay to feature their positive review on your website, just like Kohls.
hi friends, love u
yesterday I went to kohls and found the gorgeous snow white collection and got this pic.twitter.com/KCs55oX0qS— lace ☀️ (@standforjoy) November 5, 2016
4. Use Social Media Monitoring Tools
If you are having trouble managing your social media and helping your reputation through social media, you may want to look into an easy to use monitoring app! A social media monitoring app such as Perch, allows you to see who is mentioning your business, keep track of your engagement, and your amount of posts you have all from one platform.
Do you feel ready to take on your businesses reputation through social media? Remember, reviewers and customers, are all people just like you! So don’t be afraid to reach out to them through social media!
And for further insights into reputation management, check out our free ebook to help you build a strong game plan.
