Tips for Online Reputation Management for Local Businesses
Kennebunk, Maine (PRWEB) August 08, 2013 -- An important part of successful online lead generation today is online reputation management. Whatever work a local business puts in to increasing their reach through various online media, there needs to be special attention paid to work that is not being done by the company directly. Local businesses do not control customer review sites such as Yelp or Google. They also have no control over others’ blogs, sites, and social media postings. What a company does to increase their standing in the search engine results pages is only part of the battle. What others are saying about the company online can make a big difference as well. These tips are some of the same techniques My Local Leads, a local search marketing firm based in Maine, recommends for their clients.
Local companies need to be sure that they claim their online business listings. Business directories, review sites, and service finding sites all have profiles set up for a business that business owners may not even be aware of. By claiming those listing and setting up those that do not exist yet, it provides a platform for the company to address factual information such as their location, hours of operation, and services provided. This also provides the local business a chance to respond to customer reviews, complaints, and so on.
As regular search engine optimization maintenance and enhancements require regular searches on ranking, competition, etc., it is also important to search for the company specifically. What are other people saying on blogs and social networks regarding the company? Some of these people may post negative comments or reviews on their blogs or in the social media feeds. Those may or may not be accurate. However, without knowing they are there, something completely beyond the organization’s control could be damaging business.
Remember that website and social media analytics only tell part of the story in regards to online marketing for local businesses. People may find out about the company online, but never click on links such as a contact form to spark a conversion. Those same people may drive in or call the store. Asking how they heard about the company can be extremely beneficial, because it shows offline conversions. However, it could also show other sites where people found out about the company that the company is not yet monitoring, which is something that needs to be added into the firm’s online reputation management tasks.
Chris Moreno, My Local Leads, http://www.mylocalleads.com, (207) 332-3306, [email protected]
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