How Do I Protect My Business Reputation Online and in Social Media?
How Do I Protect My Business Reputation Online and in Social Media?
Very few businesses remain offline in today’s market. Consumers use the internet to locate and research services, products, and companies. They also engage with companies through social media and other online platforms. Business owners who are not proactive in protecting their company’s online reputation may discover the internet can be unforgiving. A company’s reputation can be significantly harmed by a customer, hacker, competitor, or employee if an owner is not careful to monitor the company’s online presence closely.
Five Ways to Protect Your Company’s Online Presence
- Register Your Company Name as a Domain and Across All Social Platforms
Registering a website with your company name as the domain on all top-level domains (.com, .net, .org, etc.) is one of the best ways to protect your online presence. Initially, each of the top-level domains had a unique purpose, but they now offer open registration. You can hire a web developer to link the various web pages to your main domain. Some companies also register common misspellings of their name to prevent competitors from attempting to confuse clients and customers.
Further, register your company’s name with all social media platforms, even platforms that you may not be ready to use. It is better to have the name registered for future use than to allow someone else to use your name. Once you are ready to use the social media platform, it can then be optimized to help build your brand name and attract new customers.
- Perform Routine Searches for Duplicate Pages
There could be many reasons why another party would want to duplicate your social media pages or create new pages under your company’s name. Duplicate social media pages can significantly damage your company’s reputation by confusing your clients and customers. These pages may also contain false or misleading information intended to damage your reputation.
If you locate a duplicate social media page, contact the social media platform’s help center to discuss remedies for pages you did not create. If necessary, contact an attorney to discuss legal options for addressing the matter.
- Check Your Posts and Content Carefully
Everything you post online should be fact-checked. You also need to check for spelling and grammar mistakes. The quality of your posts and content speak volumes about your company. If your content contains an error, your competitors will delight in calling attention to the error to embarrass you. Clients may lose faith in your posts and content.
- Respond to Complaints, Praise, and Comments Quickly
There are several reasons to respond to comments, including the fact that social media is driven largely by engagement. If you fail to engage your followers, clients, and customers when they reach out to you, you lose a powerful tool in creating and building brand loyalty.
If a customer or client complains about a service or product, respond immediately to try to diffuse the situation. Avoid giving boilerplate responses. Instead, offer real solutions. If possible, take the conversation offline by asking the person to send you a private message with additional information, or offer to contact the person directly to discuss how the matter can be resolved.
Make sure you also respond to positive reviews. Customers appreciate the acknowledgment and other customers see that your company truly values both positive and negative feedback.
- Claim Your Google Listing and Other Listings with Review Sites
Failing to claim your listings can create many headaches for your company, and it can hurt your online reputation in the process. The information on the listings may be incorrect. You can only correct the information by claiming your listing. For listings that include reviews, you need to claim the listing to respond to reviews. Also, allowing another party to claim your listing can expose your company to many potential problems and issues.
Contact a Florida Business Law Attorney
Matthew Fornaro provides comprehensive business law services to individuals, companies, and businesses in Coral Springs, Parkland, and throughout Broward County. To request a consultation, call 954-324-3651or contact us online.
