Online Reputation Management Blog

Online Reputation Management for Real Estate Agents

August 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment

reputation-management-for-real-estate-agentsThe perfect example for the need for online reputation management for real estate agents took place four years ago when a real estate agent and blogger for Redfin, a real estate company, blasted her competitor in an unauthorized blog post.  The responses by other real estate bloggers and subsequent media attention drew greater attention and visibility to the negative post.  Redfin responded by firing the offender, but the post remains in its entirety with a disclaimer from Redfin’s CEO with a link to their retraction and apology.

As competitive as the real estate business is, it’s essential to ensure that your online reputation is clean online and offline.

Below are some tips on reputation services that can enhance your image online and what to do if you are negatively attacked by a competitor.

1.  Play nice.  Yes, real estate competition can be brutal.  No matter how badly you want to respond to a negative attack, it pays to maintain decorum online.  If you find yourself the victim of a negative review from a client, or a bashing from a competitor, step back before responding.  Remember, just as their words are immortalized online, so are yours.

2.  Showcase the positive.  Start your own blog detailing your personal successes as a real estate agent. Showcase the houses you recently sold and what you have on the market, the rise and fall of local home values, and the ways the housing market is recovering and how an experienced real estate agent makes a difference.  Highlight positive reviews and testimonials from former clients.  Also consider using your blog to offer general real estate advice.

3.  ActiveRain, LinkedIn and Facebook.  Start an account with all three social sites to maximize your networking potential and link to your primary website to push your profile to the top of a Google search.

4.  Hire an online reputation management company.  Let the experts help you promote your name and business online while you focus on selling homes.  A reputation management company can help you take create a positive online profile through social media, local directory listings and authoritative local news sites.

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Online Reputation Management for Insurance Companies and Insurance Agents

August 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

reputation-management-for-insurance-companiesNegative blog posts can quickly go viral and reputation management can’t always repair the damage, as Progressive Insurance recently found out.  An angry consumer posted a blog on Tumblr detailing the struggles his family had with Progressive Insurance following the death of his sister in a car accident.  His sister was insured with Progressive; the man who killed her was underinsured.  Progressive declined to cover her significant expenses.

The family was forced to sue the person who caused the accident in order to force Progressive to pay up.  In a shocking move, Progressive actually sent a team of lawyers to defend the at-fault driver in order to avoid paying out on the policy.  The post caused a firestorm on social media.

The bereaved family ultimately won the case, but for Progressive, the reputational damage left Flo flummoxed…

The Progressive Insurance example demonstrates how quickly a customer complaint can spin out of control and be magnified under the harsh light of social media.  It is an important lesson in online brand reputation management.

The following strategies can help you keep your insurance company or insurance agency out of trouble.

1.  React quickly when faced with criticism online.  You’ve probably already encountered unhappy customers; it’s the nature of the insurance business.  But when people who are upset and stressed take out their feelings without a filter online, you need to be prepared to react immediately.  Set up Google alerts or a more advanced social media monitoring service so that any mention of you or your company (and employees) is immediately emailed to you.  This will help you immediately react to the comments.  While you’ll need to work quickly to respond to the negative comments, still take the time to cool down and proofread your response before posting it to a site like Yelp.com or via Twitter or Facebook. The last thing you want to do is argue with a customer online.

2.  Ask clients to give you an online review.  To help prevent negative comments from making it to the front page of a Google search, ask your happy clients to give you a positive online review.  By proactively working on your online image, you will have a fence of goodwill to keep out negative reviews.

3.  Communicate actively via social media.  Use Facebook and Twitter to talk to your customers on a daily basis.  Don’t just wait till a crisis when you need to do online reputation repair.  Offer tips on how to save money on insurance, explain the different kinds of products available and respond to customer questions and concerns.  By offering advice, especially on how to save money, you are positioning yourself as an insurance expert and your company as a “go to” provider.

4.  Hire a reputation management agency.  It’s hard to manage an online public relations campaign and your insurance practice. Hiring a top-rated online reputation management firm will help you dominate the first page of Google while helping to bury any negative reviews or defamatory posts.

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Online Reputation Management for Contractors

July 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

reputation-management-for-contractorsContractors sometimes have a tough job making a strong statement online in a business typically earned via word-of-mouth. Because of the importance of word-of-mouth marketing, maintaining your online reputation is especially important. Most consumers will look to Yelp.com, AngiesList.com, Local.com, and YellowPages.com for information on potential contractors.

Once you acknowledge that customers will scrutinize your every move, you can find areas to focus on to enhance your online profile and focus on reputation management.

Electricians, plumbers, HVAC Contractors, and General Contractors, roofers, concrete contractors, rooters, garage door installers, handymen, water damage restoration specialists know that protecting your business from negative online reviews is critical for your business.  Equally important is how you react when you receive a negative online review.

So what should you do when your small business is attacked on an online review site?

1. Respond to negative reviews: Most consumer review sites will not delete negative reviews of your business, no matter how many times (or how nicely) you ask. But most will allow you to do is respond to the negative reviewer. You can either respond publicly, or send them a private message. Always aim to fix the problem, not place blame. Someone’s mad that the paint bubbled? Offer to fix it for free. Is someone because your crew tracked in mud? Then apologize and offer a cleaning service. Not only will you fix the problem with the former customer or client who has the problem, but you will prove that you are a contractor who listens to his customers and fixes issues as they arise.

2. Highlight the positive: As you know, customers like to complain about project costs and timelines. It’s always too expensive and takes too long. To combat the negative reviews, make sure there’s a lot of positive information about you online that will fill up the first page of a Google search. Make sure your business has profiles on all major social media sites, consider blogging about your area of expertise, and buy your own domain name.

3. Ask clients to give you an online review: Another way to combat those pesky negative reviews is to get your happy and satisfied clients to write you positive reviews. These reviews won’t erase the negative reviews, but they can work to provide some balance. Promoting positive online reviews is a key part of business reputation management.

4. Hire an online reputation management company: A search engine reputation management company can help you bump up the positive reviews while burying the negative mentions of you and your company. By taking the first steps of creating optimized business profiles and developing a process for promoting feedback from your customers online, you can strengthen your positive online image.

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Online Reputation Management for Accountants

July 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Reputation-Management-for AccountantsI’ve heard that online marketing for accountants is very difficult and it is hard to get your message across in a marketplace where the cheapest provider of tax services often shouts the loudest. One way to showcase your business is to be aware of your online reputation and work to strengthen it.

Reputation management will enable your business to achieve success beyond word-of-mouth marketing and help you win new business from a simple Google search.  Below are some tips on how to manage your online reputation and find online marketing success.

1. Read online reviews.  Not just of yourself, but of your competitors, too. Check out Yelp.com, AngiesList.com, and Citysearch.com to see what your customers are saying about you. Are the reviews positive? Great, you know you’re on the right track in providing excellent service to your clients. And if you see any negative reviews, use them as an opportunity to better yourself in a particular area. Reply to the negative reviews (some sites allow you to do this privately, which is always preferred, or you can do it publicly) and respond directly to the negative feedback. Work with the customer to get them to give you another chance to make it right. Even if you’re not given the chance, demonstrating your willingness to face the problem head-on will give you credibility in the online world.

2. Ask clients to give you an online review.  To ensure that there are more positive reviews than negative, ask your clients to review your services online. But, don’t proactively offer this option to every single client; rather, ask those with whom you’ve developed a great rapport and who was really happy with your work. The positive reviews will attract new clients.

3. Network via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.  Start a Facebook page just for your business and use it to engage with your clients. Offer incentives to your clients, like early bird discounts during tax season, and deals if you’re retained for multiple projects. Social media management services are also available to help busy professionals. To prevent your clients from learning too much about your personal life, be sure to set your personal Facebook account settings to private.

4. Start an accounting blog.  Use this as an opportunity to educate your audience and gain new clients. Corporate reputation management experts have been using blog marketing to help clients spread their message and build a loyal following. Offer troubleshooting tips, from how to file your taxes to taking advantage of deductions and credit available to the small business owner to how to set up your payroll system. Don’t give away all your secrets, but give enough information to make yourself stand out as a credible industry expert.

5. Hire an online reputation management firm.  When in doubt, ask for expert help. A top-rated online reputation management firm can help you push positive mentions of you to the first page of a Google search, while burying any negative mentions.

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