The reason why so many businesses rely on the services of a reputation management campy is because they are all too aware of just how hard it can be to built up a strong online reputation, as well as being aware of just how easy it can go the other way. An online reputation is more important now than it has ever been and the clients who are leaving the reputation management consultant reviews are very aware of this, hence why they are so happy with the service that is offer by a rep management firm.
You may have a positive reputation right now, but that can be damaged in the blink of an eye and you should be aware of just how easy something like this could take place.
Review
If you have a scathing review left on a site like Yelp or Google then no matter how many positive reviews you have, this is going to make a mark. Let’s say that your restaurant happens to have a bad night, short staffed and things go wrong, the food is poor the service staff are under pressure and someone just so happens to have an awful experience. When they take to the internet to vent they will not mention the things that happened behind the scenes, they will just tell the world that the food was terrible and so were the staff. The next potential customer reads that and bang, they go somewhere else.
Social Media
Using the example above let’s say that on this difficult night for your restaurant that a member of your waiting staff is under so much pressure that they explode, perhaps they make a rude comment to customer, and perhaps, as happens in this day and age, somebody records it on their phone. Within 10 minutes of this being loaded to social media your restaurant and its ‘rude staff’ could be trending, and everyone is going to think that you run a business like this all of the time. Just imagine how quickly this could happen and how damaging it could be for your business.
Associated Guilt
Another big danger online is that you could be found guilty by association if a partner of yours is found to have been acting in a criminal or an unethical way. Let’s continue with that restaurant example, let us say that you get your produce from a local farm, something which you proudly talk about in your restaurant and on your website. Now let’s say that this farm is found to have been hiring illegal immigrants, or defrauding its investors, this is a story which will make the headlines. By now though your name is synonymous with that farm, and unfortunately you are going to be wrongly tarred with the same brush. Something which, through no fault of your own, is going to be significantly damaging to your business and your brand.
Never rest on your laurels, an online rep can be damaged in a heartbeat, rightly or wrongly.
To read more on topics like this, check out the business category.
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