Online Marketing Services: Reputation or Faҫade?

When you are looking at selecting an online marketing service to help manage your reputation, it is always important to choose a company that will help you grow your reputation and not just play the numbers game or try to create a faҫade of excellence. After all, you want people to see how truly excellent you really are!

As you will see in the infographic and descriptions below, there are three major areas to consider when you evaluate a company that offers review managing services.

Empowerment
This is YOUR reputation we are talking about, not any other company's reputation. It is vital that YOU are involved in the process and that you are given the information you need to solidify and grow your reputation online. This typically means there should be an educational component to the program.

Look for a program that includes staff development training and ongoing consultation services to help you work with the feedback your customers provide you through their reviews. Any company that encourages you to just let them handle it all, while they may be very well-intended, runs the risk of misrepresenting your business.

Impact
Think about where you go to research companies and products. Chances are, your customers are going to similar websites. You want reviews and customer feedback to be posted where potential customers are going to see it - this means on the major review websites and the major search engines' review websites - Google+ and Yahoo Local for example.

In order to have reviews on Google+ and Yahoo Local, your customers must post directly on these websites. NO third party company can post directly on your Google+ or Yahoo Local business page. They can only post to a website that that company owns and controls - this may produce more positive web content for your business, but it will not impact your Google+ star rating or the star rating on any of the other major review websites.

Ownership
Third party companies that are gathering your clients' reviews and posting them on their own website often retain the power to remove those reviews if/when you cancel services. Make sure that you own the feedback that is gathered from your clients.

Grow Your Reputation and Not Just a Faҫade
You work hard to make your business a quality and reputable place for your clients. Make sure the company you choose to manage your online reputation is committed to transparent and meaningful practices too.

Ann Pearson is the CEO of Impressions Review Managing, LLC - a company committed to empowering businesses to manage their online reputations. For more information about the services IRM offers, visit www.impressionsrm.com or email Ann at impressionsrm@gmail.com.