Review your Business Online Identity

Here are the four areas that are critical to building a positive reputation with customers.

You may be wondering, “What is my business identity?” Simply put, your business identity is your company’s digital footprint, including all of the information that exists on the internet—whether you like it or not.

You can either take control of this information about your business, or you can ignore it. Ignoring it won’t make it go away. But if you take control of your business identity, you can ensure that any and all information on the internet concerning your business is correct and consistent. You can fix errors. And, most important, you can make the best impression possible with potential customers who are searching online for a business like yours.

You don’t want to leave your online presence up to fate, so here are the four main pillars of your business identity you should take charge of.

Business Listings

What is a business listing? Well, if you remember back to a time where you found businesses in a large yellow phone book, that was a business listing. Today those listings have gone digital and they are all over the internet.

Some examples of business listings include Google, Yelp, Yahoo, Bing, Mapquest, YP.com, and on and on. When you claim these listings and take ownership of your correct information, you ensure that third parties and data aggregators cannot change your information without your knowledge.

If your business listings contain any old or missing information, on the other hand, it doesn’t bode well for your online identity. Customers might assume that you have gone out of business or are unreliable and could move on to the nearest competitor.

There are more than 70 search engines, maps, apps and local directories that contain business listings. The best practice is to claim and complete as many of them as possible to gain control of your local information and establish a strong and consistent identity as a business.

You can see how your business listing appears everywhere on the internet with a free Local Search Report from Manta. 

Online Reputation

When potential customers search for your business on Google, what do you want them to see? Positive reviews! You want your business to be represented in the best light possible.

Your online reputation is determined through honest feedback from previous customers. If you remember the days when business was done with a handshake, you know that establishing good rapport with customers has changed dramatically. People still look for that same trust and dependability, but now they look for it online. That’s why it’s crucial to maintain a positive reputation on the internet.

You can do this by soliciting online reviews from customers once you finish selling them a product or completing a service. If the customer has had a positive experience, they are more likely to leave a good review, which will help boost your credibility.

Unfortunately, not all customers will have had satisfactory experiences, and a few may leave negative reviews. This is critical: Don’t ignore negative reviews! It is important to constantly monitor what people are saying about you. If you come across a dissatisfied customer review, remember to act with integrity and professionalism. Don’t panic and don’t fire back in anger! The best practice is to respond to the negative review with a sincere apology for the bad experience and always offer a solution to make things right.

What are customers saying about your business? 

Social Media

A good social media presence goes far beyond likes and shares; it’s another crucial building block of your business identity. In other words, avoiding the use of social media for business is not an option. Whether you like it or hate it, social media is a must-have in order to grow your business online.

Social media is a way to connect with customers and show that you are trustworthy, reliable and an expert in your field. A business without at least a completed Facebook for Business page is seen as less credible and probably behind the times.

When creating social media accounts for your business, it is key to fill out your profiles in their entirety. If you just leave the bare bones of a social media profile, it could signal to potential customers that you couldn’t see it through to the end. Not only are you hurting your credibility and business identity when opting out of social media, you are missing out on free and easy marketing.

Website

Finally, a website is the essential foundation for establishing your business identity. Without a website to act as a digital destination for customers, you may as well not have a business at all.

Fortunately, the internet has made it easy to build a website, whether you prefer to do it yourself or if you want to get in touch with a company that can create it for you. Just remember that a website is never a finished product; it needs consistent maintenance. If you choose to create a website on your own using a premade template, make sure you fill it out in its entirety, including all your correct business information, detailed descriptions of your products or services, photos of your products and service, and contact information.

Information about your company is all over the internet, whether you want it to be there or not. It’s up to you to take control of your business identity and present it to customers in the best way possible. If you would like assistance in taking control of your business identity, contact VII Capital Funds.

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