There is no question that the Internet and social media is the greatest boon to communication in history. But before the Internet you built your business and personal reputation over years. Any issues were limited in scope and you could usually address them one-on-one. But now, any minor issue can be broadcast worldwide instantly. One blistering review on Yelp can destroy everything you’ve built up over 10, 20, or 50 years. The problem is that these reviews can be from a disgruntled customer or they could be people working on behalf of your competitors.
So it is absolutely critical that you actively monitor and manage both your business and personal reputation online. Don’t let others tell the story or it could become an absolute disaster. There are several things you need to do. Firstly don’t ignore the Internet. While you may not think the Internet is important to your business, your customers do. Regularly Google both your own and your company name.
When potential customers want to know more about your business, do not send them to online review sites. Do not do it. A better course of action is to focus on improving your ranking in Google search results. Post articles with informative and useful content that helps your customers, shares your expertise and make yourself a trusted resource for your customers.
Thirdly, guard your own reputation. You could pay a reputation management company or you can use free tools like Google Alerts, TweetBeep, Social Mention and Monitor This.
Whatever you do, don’t let others destroy what it’s taken you so long to build up.