Having a good online reputation is a critical success factor for your business as your online reputation impacts your customers' opinions.
According to a Trustpilot survey, a whopping 90% of online shoppers have decided not to buy from a company because of their bad reputation.
Small business owners often struggle to build a large customer base because they do not have a large marketing budget to influence customers. Being perceived as unreliable or unfair can make it harder for small business owners to grow their customer base.
It takes time to build a brand. In the initial phase, your small business may not be a popular name in your industry.
If potential customers or customers do not know about your business, they're trying to find information about you.
In fact, 60% of online shoppers search the business if they are unfamiliar with the business. In addition, over 93% of customers confirm that Trustpilot reviews online purchases.
It's not that only online shoppers search. According to Google Research, 42% of in-store customers research online while in a store.
Does a customer hesitate to place an order if they find negative reviews on the first page of the search results?
90% of customers who do not shop due to a poor online reputation of a business do not stop there. These customers also tell other customers not to buy from the same company.
So, if you only have a few negative reviews, it can ultimately cost your business a good number of customers.
Large companies have a large base of loyal customers. You can afford to lose a few customers. For a small business owner like you, every customer counts.
It's no longer a passive tactic to maintain a clean online reputation to build trust with customers.
Customers lose interest in brands when they realize that brands are silent and secret and project an obsolete online presence, as stated in the study. Deleting negative reviews has proven to be the biggest breach of trust.
Here are factors that reduce buyer confidence after research:
Here are some effective ways:
You should not wait for a negative review to appear online to start online reputation management for your business.
As a small business owner, building a good online reputation from day one should be your goal as it is an important way to build trust with your customers.
Trustpilot communications and communications director Zachary Pardes says, "Small business owners continue to face the reality that larger companies are stubbornly trying to retain their customers. This report is one of the most important ways to stay competitive and maintain customer confidence by maintaining a good reputation. And a good reputation creates loyalty that is invaluable in an environment where consumers have many choices.
Having a good online reputation not only brings more customers, but also helps you compete with large companies. Customers choose to buy from an unknown company to a reputed company known for a recent scandal. In addition, the customers a strong brand awareness is more important than the price, as confirmed by the study.
Online reputation management is a must for small business owners in today's Internet-connected world.
What is your plan to manage your company's online reputation?
Image: Depositphotos.com
