Why You Need A Reputation Management Strategy for Your Multi-Location Business
Why You Need A Reputation Management Strategy for Your Multi-Location Business
Your reputation matters.
What people say about your business both on and offline will ultimately impact your business’s bottom line. About
5%–10% of consumers write reviews, influencing around $400 billion of eCommerce sales revenue.
People leave online reviews for many reasons, but most of them fall into either very positive (5-star) or very negative (1-star). No matter what people say, how you respond makes a
huge difference in your overall reputation.
But how do you manage this, especially if you run a business with multiple locations? Read on to learn more about how using the right tools can help your business thrive online.
Why Does Your Business Need an Online Presence?
This last year and a half have seen more people heading online to shop than ever. Regardless of this fact, over 70% of Australians prefer shopping in-store to online. Many people research companies before visiting. Some of the information they look for includes:
- Methods of payment (i.e. contactless payment methods)
- Curbside pick-up options
- Product inventory data
- In-store safety precautions
- Location and working hours
- Customer reviews
And why do people look up reviews? It’s the online equivalent of word of mouth. On average,
72% of shoppers refuse to take action on a website until they read feedback from real customers. Also,
84% of people trust online reviews as much as they trust recommendations from friends, so you need to make sure what your customers are saying is showing you in the best light.
What’s The Best Way To Respond to Reviews?
According to an Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) report, small businesses account for between 97.4% and 98.4% of all companies in Australia. Without a solid reputation management strategy, companies can lose out on potential customers. If your negative reviews are left unresponded to, it can look like your business doesn’t care—even when that’s far from the case.
Alternatively, if a customer creates a
positive review for you, you can capitalise on it. And if a customer creates a negative review, you'll want to minimise the damage. It shows engagement with your audience, as well as willingness to do more to serve them.
More often than not, a customer will feel more compelled to leave a negative review when they had a bad experience than leaving a good review if they had a great one. If you want to capture more of the feedback from your delighted customers, make sure to ask them to leave reviews on popular review platforms and share positive online testimonials across their social channels!
A Simple Way to Manage Your Online Presence
So, how does a busy owner like yourself keep on top of your reputation management, especially when you are juggling multiple locations? Take your business to the next level by building a robust online presence through our Local Business Online Toolkit. The Buzzlink Connect App allows you to conduct online business, update your inventory information, and keep your happy customers coming back again and again. With our online tools, you can upload and manage data across a variety of platforms—saving you time and money!
At Buzzlink Digital, we know the importance of building your online reputation.
Check out our website to learn about our reputation and business listing management services, or contact us to speak to one of our team members today!
