The answer is YES!
Just like your personal reputation, your brand’s online reputation is extremely important. Your online reputation gives customers a first-hand look at your brand and should be monitored every day. Your company’s online reputation is not just your personal website and social media pages but your product reviews, ads, pictures and posted news. Studies have shown that 97 percent of customers who bought products based on an online review found it to be true. On the other hand, 75 percent of consumers do not trust brand advertisements because they believe it is not the truth.
Taking these items into consideration, as a company you need to invest in the reputation of your brand to ensure its longevity and success. There has been a growing trend as more and more people are relying on friends and family to get information about a particular brand or product and 80 percent of those consumers consider purchasing that brand or product from that recommendation.
Think about it, if your customer’s don’t like you online, they won’t purchase your products and that translates to your bottom line!
Here are some tips on how to manage your brand:
a) Google your brand and find out the top things being said about you.
b) Make sure you get email notifications and updates about you and your brand so when it happens, you can take immediate action.
c) Implement a technique called “Reverse SEO.” When there is bad content about you online, create content that is good so you can take it out of focus.
d) Open accounts on other sites such as Angie’s List or Yelp to consistently review and monitor comments being made about your brand.
Are you doing everything it takes to monitor your brand’s reputation?
From the original article entitled; How Your Online Reputation Affects Your Startup’s Bottom Line by Kristin Piombino
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228552
