With an estimated 81% of all shoppers researching companies before making a purchase, it’s safe to say that your business’ online reputation matters more than the amount of money you spend on advertising. Online reputation almost matters more than the product itself. Most people trust peer reviews over any marketing material a company may put out there.

Measuring and managing your online reputation is essential to maintaining a healthy, growing business. Here are a few ways to measure and manage your online reputation.

Self Assessment

You have to start somewhere. If you are not currently responding to negative reviews, comments or even questions on any of your platforms, create a plan to do so. No engagement, or a lack of engagement, is negative engagement.

Hire Help

Hire someone to help you manage your comments, reviews, questions and emails. This not only provides help and saves time but also provides an objective eye to problems and situations. This person should be friendly and personable. They should be able to communicate clearly and professionally while creating a personalized experience for customers.

Use An App

As they say, “there’s an app for that”. There are several customer relationship management (CRM) applications and software available to help you measure and improve your online reputation and many of them come with free trials. 

Programs like Birdeye allow you to monitor online reviews and manage them across several platforms all from one location. They also provide a keyword analysis and ticketing feature to help you stay focused. Reviews.io specializes in eCommerce businesses, helping them collect and manage and publish reviews. Sprout Social mainly focuses on a business’ level of effectiveness on social media. They measure and monitor growth and engagement with an unique ability to track conversations and automate publishing. 

Happy reviews and customers are always the star of any company; however, properly managing negative reviews, customers and comments are what make companies strong and help them to grow. What tools will you use to help measure your business’ online reputation?