Here’s a fascinating
Here are six things most people do every single day that could have a deep impact on company reputation scores.
We all love our clients. After all, without them, we’d have no business to run. But, clients can also be a little exasperating. They can be demanding, they can be insulting, and sometimes, they inspire more than a touch of anger.
Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter make it easy for you to share your exasperation with the world. And you might think that the words you share are private and password-protected, so they’ll never get back to your clients.
However, it’s remarkably easy to make mistakes and share more than you intended. You might talk on a company channel, instead of a private channel. You might have blabby friends who share your private note far and wide. You might not have your passwords as tight as you thought. All of that could allow you to ruin your reputation, even if you never intended to do so.
When you’re upset, it’s best to keep those feelings off the public airwaves. No writing, no sniping and no complaining on social media. Ever.
#2. Ignoring client messages.
Did you know that clients expect a response within an hour, when they’ve pinged you via Twitter? That’s what a study from Lithium suggests, and it means that you simply can’t ignore messages from your clients. When they speak up, you simply must listen and respond.
Ideally, you’ll be able to handle the concern right away, so that consumer will walk away happy. But if you can’t handle the issue outright, even a simple statement such as, “Let me check into this and get back to you” can do wonders.
If you ignore that message, your clients just might hop on their social media accounts to crow about the injustice they think they’re facing. And that could spell reputation disaster.
#3. Refusing to run a check on your company’s name on Google.
Data that fuels Google can change rapidly. That’s why it’s vital for you to run checks on your company’s performance every single day of the week. If you know what’s out there and what’s happening, you can deal with the fallout effectively. If you’re unaware of the issue, you can’t handle it well.
#4. Putting a personal, slightly risky, photo up on Facebook.
For many people, Facebook is the place to get silly. Popping up photos of tiny kittens, fancy alcoholic drinks, or sumptuous dinners is just par for the course. But, these photos can quickly slide out of control, and when they do, they can impact your reputation.
Here’s an example. This man took a slightly silly photo of himself and his son. He manipulated the image via computer, so it seemed as though he was tossing his small child many miles into the air. He figured everyone would know he couldn’t toss his son that high. But once the photo started to go viral, it went to people who didn’t know this man or his son. They didn’t know he had Photoshop skills. They thought he was abusing his child.
A photo that might seem innocent to you could seem really frightening or really crass to one of your clients. You might seem unworthy of their business, or unworthy of their money. You might lose business, all because you’re trying to be amusing. It’s just not worth the risk.
#5. Ignoring or trying to bury a client complaint.
When your company screws up, you simply must apologize. But admitting a fault can be an uncomfortable process, and sometimes, it seems easier to simply ignore the issue or try to make it go away.
Again, if you ignore your clients, they can become so irate that they do the talking for you. Blog posts, Tweets, Facebook posts and more can all spring from just one little incident involving ignoring. It’s better to handle a complaint straight off, so your clients have nothing to clobber you with online.
#6. Putting off updating the company blog.
Blog posts are great for reputation management. Each little piece of data you share allows you to tout something awesome about your company. And every little post can be indexed by Google, so the searches people perform on your company have a greater chance of bringing back good stuff. But all those benefits can only come to people who take the time to write on that blog day after day, come what may. If procrastination is getting in your way, a reminder of the power of blogging might help to turn the tide.
You Can Do It!
Making a few simple tweaks to your daily habits can have a huge impact on your company’s reputation. And, many of these tips might make your clients love you just a little more, too. But I know I’m missing your favorite tips, right? Please, write me a note and tell me what you’re doing every day to make your company reputation better. I’d love to hear your ideas.
Images: “Image. Cutout of words related with business./Shutterstock.com“
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