Small Businesses: How to Manage Your Reputation Online

With the increasing need for analytics consulting and reputation management, I started to offer both areas as services at Creative Development Agency, and now more than half of my clients rely on that data to make marketing decisions for their businesses. 

Since I've launched Femfounder.co, I've focused the majority of the content on publicity, social media, and branding because that's where most of our readers need help. But today, I'm going to change things up a bit by talking about reputation and reputation management. 

When I studied PR and marketing at New York University, I took a course solely dedicated to reputation management, and after the first session, I was hooked. It was truly fascinating. However, all of the information that I learned in that course and that was published online and in books was solely for corporations. There was nothing for small businesses or bloggers (this was back in 2011). 

During my last semester, I spent the entire time researching and writing about reputation and reputation management for small businesses, creative entrepreneurs, and bloggers. And my final dissertation was over one hundred pages long of in-depth research, including interviews, surveys, and actionable tips that you can use in your own business or blog (which is now under contract to be turned into a book. Keep an eye out for that book - it will be released in early 2018.)

And now I'm going to share what I learned but first, let's start with what reputation is and why reputation management is critical to the growth of your small business. 

Reputation is the series of thoughts, images, and perceptions that others hold about your brand, small business, or blog. 

Reputation management is the attempt to shape the public perception of a company, brand, or person both online and offline. Not only is reputation management necessary to grow your business both online and offline, it's critical to sustain it. 

Consider this - if an angry customer leaves a negative review on Yelp.com or tells her friends about a bad experience she had with your business, then that negative attention will spread to other potential customers. 

According to a Nielson study, 66 percent of consumers said they trust online reviews when making online purchases. Additionally, consumers will tell an average of 16 people about a negative experience vs. 9 people will tell about a positive experience. 

Now, I think you see how important reputation management is to your business or blog.  

Reputation Management Tips

When you launch your small business, brand, or blog, consider developing a reputation management with these tips.

1). Search Engine Rankings

The first page of search results for your business, brand, or blog name is usually the most important on whether a user will buy from you. Those top search results need to expand beyond your website pages. Social media and review sites should be a part of those top 10 search results. 

2). Research

New companies and bloggers need to start online reputation building and management before launching publicly. You should make sure there's no negative reputation associated with the business, brand, or blog name you're thinking about using. 

3). Dealing with Negative Reviews or Comments

If your brand happens to get negative reviews or customer comments, it's not the end of the world. Search engines algorithms are always changing so it's possible to mitigate reputational harm. You'll have to publish content on higher ranking and authoritative sites to push negative reviews or customer comments off the first page of search results. 

4). Your Personal Name and Business/Blog Name

If you're a small business, you'll want to manage the reputation of both your name and your business/brand/blog name. In most cases, prospective customers research your name and your business/blog name to see if anything negative pops up. So you'll want to create a fully-optimized bio page on your website, as well as get media coverage, blog posts, or issue press releases about you and your blog to rank high in the search results for both your name and business name.

5). Social Media Strategy

You'll want to make sure you have a robust social media strategy in place. Post high-quality content frequently. Make sure you're on Twitter.com, Facebook.com, Pinterest.com, Instagram.com, and LinkedIn.com. 

6). Existing Customer for Reviews/Testimonials

Encourage your existing customers to leave a positive comment on a relevant review website or provide a testimonial that you can use your own website or blog. This will help increase your business/brand/blog's street credibility and social proof.   

7). Blogging

If you don't have a company blog, get one! A blog is a great way to increase your search engine rankings, website traffic, and your overall expertise and authority. A blog can also give you a forum to discuss any misconceptions or address any issues customers have with your business. 

8). Regular Monitoring and Management

Regular reputation monitoring and management are critical to the success of your business/brand/blog. Search Google, Yahoo, and Bing for both your name and your business name to make sure there's no negative commentary. But if you happen to find a negative review or comment, don't panic. See what the problem is and determine how to fix it. If it's a negative review on Yelp.com or some other review website, respond and apologize to the person for the bad experience they had and offer to fix it. Whatever you do, don't argue because you can come across as rude or unprofessional. 

Have you had issues with your reputation online? If so, what was the problem and how did you resolve it? Describe your experience in the section below. 

TOP FOUR MARKETING SKILLS ALL ENTREPRENEURS MUST HAVE TO COMPETE

When it comes to being a successful brand or business today, it's critical you have basic online marketing skills. But with so many tools and platforms available, how do you know what skills will be most helpful? Here are the four top skills you should have to make your business a success.

1). Facebook Advertising - Having a branded Facebook.com page is no longer enough. If you'd like to generate interest, traffic, and even sales to your website, you should know how to create an ad, refine your target audience, and how to run split tests to determine which ad generates the best response.

As someone who uses Facebook.com advertising regularly for my own businesses as well as my clients' businesses, I can tell which ad/offer will perform the best after about 200 clicks (or $150.00 ad spend). This is a great marketing tactic for brands that are on a low budget.

2). Social Media Marketing - If you don't understand social media marketing and don't have a strategy in place for your brand or business, then it's going to be difficult for you to build your name. Instagram.com, Pinterest.com, and Facebook.com accounts are must-haves for any visual business. Not only are they free to join, they're great ways to connect with prospective and existing customers, approach influencers, and increase search engine visibility.

3). Email Marketing - Although many marketing experts say email marketing is "dead", it's not. This strategy is an effective and low-cost way to generate additional revenue.

Running new promotions or product announcements is also a great way to stay in touch with your customers. You might also want to consider adding a "top tips" or editorial-like section to your emails. Check out the BobbiBrownCosmetics.com and Gilt.com email newsletters for ideas. Also, make sure your emails are optimized for smartphone and tablets.

4). Video - Video marketing has become a huge part of the digital space today. Brands such as Gucci.com and Chanel.com have mastered video marketing and you should too.

However, if you're a startup, then your brand most likely doesn't have the resources to allocate to commercial video production. Luckily, Instagram.com Stories, SnapChat.com and Periscope.com allow you to create real videos from your smartphone. These platforms are perfect for behind-the-scenes runway shows and photo shoots.

7 Publicity (PR) Myths Busted

PR Myths Busted

Whenever I tell someone that I work as a publicist and own a PR firm in New York City, they instantly think that I throw fabulous New York Fashion Week ("NYFW") events, am on a first-name basis with countless celebrities, and constantly rub elbows with people in high society. While television shows like “Sex and the City” and “The City” show the glamorous side of the fashion industry, the day-to-day life of a publicist is like any other challenging career - working long hours to come up with the best solutions to help my clients meet their objectives.

Sure, I’ve attended my share of high-profile events for some of today’s most creative fashion brands, but I’ve also spent many sleepless nights organizing those same events and sweating all of the details to make sure the backstage production is seamless, the press and photographers are there to get red carpet photos, and everything else goes off without a hitch. Truth be told, while these events seem glamorous and fun to outsiders, they are actually quite exhausting and stressful for publicists.

Now that you know the truth about my so-called glamorous profession, I’m going to debunk seven other myths that you probably have when it comes to publicity and how the field works in general.  

PR Myth 1 - Publicity is all about planning parties and hobnobbing with high society and celebrities.

While planning NYFW events and launch parties are high-profile events, they don't take place 365 days a year. In fact, special events, product launches, runway shows, and movie screenings are only a small fraction of what a PR person does. More common areas involve general media relations, social media management, and influencer marketing. The image of Samantha Jones sipping on a Cosmopolitan six nights a week, meeting a different dashing man each night isn't realistic in the slightest.

Myth 2 - A press release is all you need to get media coverage.

Maybe this was true in the 1950's, but not in the 21st century. Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs use the same press release to pitch 1,000 journalists and expect to generate significant media coverage. It's not that easy.

If you want to get media coverage, then you need to come up with a strategic plan outlining your objectives, audiences, messages, and timeline for doing so. You also need to figure out who the right media contacts are for your client, what each editor covers, how they like to be pitched, and then give them something they can use. That's a tall order for the entrepreneur with zero publicity experience.  

Myth 3 - Publicity automatically equals sales.

No, it DOES NOT!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard entrepreneurs say that once they get featured in a magazine, an avalanche of sales will inevitably follow. That's a gross oversimplification of how publicity usually works. Sure, if the stars align, publicity can lead to stronger sales - but publicity should never be used in place of sales.

More than anything else, publicity generates brand awareness. In turn, heightened awareness makes it easier to approach retailers because they are already familiar with your brand name and your product or service. Steady publicity is the best way to transform cold sales leads back into warm ones.

Myth 4 - All press is good press!

There are some people or news stories that are so repugnant or controversial that no brand should seek to associate with them - and I'm not talking about politics. Bad press can cause so much damage to your brand that it can’t survive.

Myth 5 - Journalists expect to be wined and dined.

Today, journalists are just too busy to take an hour out of their hectic days to meet you just so you can go on about your wonderful product or service. Like you, journalists have stressful jobs, deadlines, personal lives, and a finite amount of time to deal with it all. A simple, short, and concise pitch is the way to capture a journalist’s heart.

Myth 6 - Publicity and advertising are the same.

No, no, a thousand times no! Confusing these two concepts is one of my biggest professional pet peeves. Publicity and advertising are very different.

With publicity, there’s no guarantee you will get media coverage. You can’t control when or where your messages will be published. With advertising, you can control the message, placement, and timing. However, advertising comes with a big cost that most small businesses simply can’t afford. That's just one of the reasons why publicity is usually the better option.

Myth 7 - Publicity isn’t measurable.

Not only is publicity is measurable, but it's also crucial to figure out how to do it if you want to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your media campaign.  However, it's very tough to do without the right tools.

One of the most traditional (and inaccurate) ways to measure publicity is to use the equivalent advertising value. But as we know, publicity and advertising are not the same - publicity is much more valuable because you're essentially getting a third-party endorsement from the media.  Smart publicity professionals can use social media and Google Analytics as one of their tools to determine public perception towards your brand and the impact of a given media campaign.

What are some of the biggest myths you've heard about publicity?

If you want to get featured in the media and ultimately position your brand for sales and growth, click here.

Want more PR tips? Sign up below.