The Importance of Online Reputation Management

 Posted on April 10,2015 in OVC Lawyer Marketing

As a successful professional, you have spent many years building your brand. Your office represents your values and the commitment you have to your clients, and you look to offer exemplary service for years to come. Every business, however, eventually must deal with dissatisfied customers and clients. Dissatisfaction may stem from unrealistic client expectations or from legitimate cases of substandard service, but, whatever the case, unhappy customers can create problems, especially when they utilize the internet to voice their displeasure. Negative online reviews can cost you significantly by impacting your office’s ability to attract new clients and maintain the image you desire, but, fortunately, professional online reputation management can help.

Online Reputation Problems

It is not uncommon for a business owner or professional to be completely surprised by impacts to his or her online reputation. Negative reviews on Google+, Yelp, and other sites often contain hurtful personal attacks and wild accusations regarding service or customer care that bear little semblance of truth. However, the internet has very few filters and many reviewers are not afraid to exaggerate for attention. These types of reviews are often created by disgruntled clients or, in some cases, competitors looking to improve their own relative images.

Sometimes, however, a negative post about a company may be truly inspired by a poor business experience. Owning a business or running a firm does not make an individual immune from making mistakes, and on occasion, a client may not receive the level of service or the outcome he or she expected. When that happens, such performance may be called out in a legitimate online review, with civil language and an expression of true disappointment on the part of the consumer.

Online Reputation Management

Understanding the online presence of his or her company should be a top priority for any business owner. Nearly 90 percent of potential clients read online reviews of local businesses, and up to 40 percent do so regularly. This represents a large segment of prospective customers that could be deterred by poor reputation management.

Professionals looking to better manage their online reputation can begin the process in a few simple ways:

Be Aware: Proactive reputation management is much more effective than reactive damage control. There are many available resources for tracking a company’s visibility and web performance, which can often provide real-time indications of reputation issues.

Improve Content: Most reviews and feedback are not negative, but those that are will have a minimal impact on a company already enjoying high web volume and strong search engine rankings. Engaging content and regular updates can help keep a brand image positive.

Accept Feedback and Respond: A negative review is not necessarily an inaccurate one. With an objective approach, a business owner may discover some opportunities for improvement. Responding to reviews, whether they are positive, negative, or neutral, will also help improve visibility, and display a personal connection to the company and the brand.

Get Help from Marketing Professionals

Your brand image is vital to the success of your firm, and managing your online presence is a simple way to demonstrate your commitment to your clients’ satisfaction. Since 2008, our team has been providing cutting-edge online marketing solutions for attorneys, including reliable online reputation management. Call OVC, INC. today at 630-635-8000 to schedule a consultation, and take control of your company’s reputation.

About the Author: Greg Wildman is the President of OVC, INC. Since 1999, Greg has developed hundreds of websites for attorneys from his company's inception as Online Video Concepts, LLC to the modern era's OVC, INC. Greg's knowledge of law firm marketing has helped many attorneys establish online presences through custom website development, Search Engine Optimization, legal directory partnerships, social media marketing, content writing and more.