Protecting Your Company’s Reputation Online

TLTA Annual Conference & Business MeetingJune 15, 2012

Agenda

• XL Web Services• Importance of Reputation Management• Reputation Management Basics• Practical Tools and Advice• Summary• Q&A

XL Web Services

We specialize in websites and online marketing for local businesses

• Family owned and operated• Established in 2007• Offices in Houston and Austin, customers

nationwide

Your Online Reputation

• Your reputation is what you say about yourself and what others say about you.

• Managing your reputation is nothing new. What’s new is how the Internet and social applications have changed the way reputations spread.

For small and medium businesses today, reputation is airborne and highly contagious.

Reputation Management Basics

• Who’s talking about you? Customers Ex-Employees Competitors Media

• Where? Websites and blogs Social media Local review sites

Why is all this important to me?

• 78% of American Internet users perform online research on the products and services they're considering buying.1

1 Pew Internet American Life Project (2010). Publisher: Pew Internet & American Life, Pages: 1-12. Available from www.pewinternet.org.

A bad or non-existent reputation can cost you potential customers and repeat business

Practical Tools and Advice

1. Listen to what’s being said2. Connect with your community3. Take actions to boost a positive online

presence for your company4. Measure your results over time

Tools to Help You Listen• Free Tool: Google Alerts

Reputation Intelligence Software

• Typically costs money• Aggregate online visibility measurement• Sentiment evaluation• Competitive share of voice

Online Visibility Measurement

Sentiment Evaluation

Competitive Analysis

Connect With Your Community

• Thank reviewers for positive and negative feedback

• Guide the conversation to a positive direction• Online discussions should complement your

overall marketing strategy

Negative Comments Are Opportunities

• 68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see both positive and negative comments.1

• 92% of consumers said they would be willing to go back if they2

– Received a follow up apology/correction from a supervisor/head office (63%)

– Were offered a discount (52%)– Offered proof of enhanced customer service (49%)

• 18% of people who received responses turned into loyal customers and increased purchases2

1 Richard Anson, CEO and co-founder of social commerce company Reevoo. <http://wallblog.co.uk/2012/04/10/bad-online-reviews-are-good-for-business/#ixzz1xmJmQFYG>2 Customer Experience Impact Report: North America 2010. <http://www.rightnow.com/landing-customer-experience-impact-2010.php>

Best Practices for Handling Negative Reviews

1. Thank the customer and let them know feedback is important to you

2. Apologize on behalf of your company for the bad experience

3. Invite them to come back. Offer them something for free or at a discount.

4. Avoid a public back-and-forth discussion of what happened. Take it offline or to a private message.

Other Options for Counteracting Negative Reviews

• Request that the comment be removed from the review website

• “Bury” the negative comment

1

1 “5 Tips For Responding To Negative Customer Reviews Online.” Andrew Shotland. Nov 28, 2011. <http://searchengineland.com/5-tips-for-responding-to-negative-customer-reviews-online-102136>

Boost Positive Online Presence

1. Participate in social media2. Fully develop all your profiles on business

review websites3. Get positive online reviews4. Search Engine Optimization

Participate in Social Media

• Fully build out your online profiles• Post regularly• Respond to comments• Engage your audience through competitions,

polls, humor, photos, videos and more…

Fully Build Out Online Profiles

• Claim your listings on Yelp, Google Places, Bing Local, Yahoo Local and so on…

• Add a description• Add appropriate

keywords• Upload photos and

videos

Get Positive Reviews Online

• Ask customers you have a strong relationship with to write a review online

• Add “Review Us On X” messaging to website, invoices, letters and emails

• Post signage at your business location• Scan, transcribe and post hand-written

reviews

Search Engine Optimization

• Your goal is to gain authority from Google for a particular subject1. Identify keywords (find your particular subject)2. Optimize your website and online profiles3. Build regular business listings4. Write regular informational articles to establish

yourself as a thought leader in your field• Get a specialized agency or do lots and lots of

online research!

Reputation Management Measurement

• Measurements should correspond with your overall marketing goals

• Examples of things to track over time: Number of positive reviews and negative reviews Where you rank on websites for your keywords Number of new customers that say they read about you

online first New business from or referred from a social media follower Number of mentions of qualities about your business you

are trying to use as selling points

Questions & Answers

Aimy SteadmanXL Web Services

aimy@xlwebservices.comwww.XLWebServices.comHouston (281) 935-7071

Austin (512) 692-9276