Five Ways to Reputation Management

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whataretheyWhile it’s difficult to please everyone all the time, particularly finicky customers and clients, reputation management can consume a greater portion of the social marketing activities of a successful online business. In the past, word-of-mouth was one of the single most important tools to grow an established business. With the advent of the internet, great reviews can enhance your business, as what’s said online can be read by your potential customers. Likewise, bad reviews can keep people away from your business, resulting in decreased profits. The good news is that there are reputation management services to help you repair the reputation of your business, so you can rise above the bad press. Getting the word out that your business will adapt to new challengers and pay attention to consumer’s opinions, will aid in the success of your business.

1. Dealing with Negative Feedback.
Sometimes the worst thing you can do is to remove bad comments from a social media page, as the damage has already been done. Customers or fans have already read the comments and reviews. Rather than trying to scoop it under the rug, it’s best to deal with tactfully. Every business has some negative feedback, but it’s the way you respond to that feedback that will keep satisfied customers returning to your business regardless of one or two disappointments.

2. Hire A Reputation Management Expert.
A successful business needs to take note of their online reputation, rather then sweeping negative comments under the rug. If negativity is being generated surrounding your enterprise, then the sooner you have online reputation management services take charge of your professional image, the sooner your reputation can be repaired.

3. Don’t Tackle Reputation Management By Yourself.


There are reasons why you shouldn’t try to repair your online reputation all by yourself. The first being that you likely can’t step back and take an objective view of the situation. Will it likely blow over, or does a qualified social media professional need to handle the intricacies of the net? Also, do you want to spend your days repairing your own reputation, or should a professional firm handle the positive press for you?

4. Reputation Management Can Be Time-Consuming.


It may seem like a big order to fulfill, but online reputation management tools can replace your bad press with new, glowing reviews of your business or enterprise. Website admins can be contacted and asked to remove comments from social media websites, though that sometimes doesn’t work. Internet reputation management services can repair a poor online reputation through special reputation management software that integrates with online social media programs. All these tasks take time, and can be extremely time-consuming.

5. Hiring A Reputation Manager Is Worth the Cost.


Reputation management consultants possess the expertise to manage your online reputation. They’ll use their own special set of reputation management tools to get your business back on track. When positive reviews start coming in about your business, your business will have the tools it needs to thrive and grow.

Do It Yourself Marketing or Not?

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manatcomputerAs a small business owner, one of the most neglected areas of your business is likely having a good marketing plan. For any number of reasons, you may have neglected to set up an advertising or marketing program for your business. Perhaps you’ve been too busy on other details of your business, or maybe you just don’t know where to start. Many businesses will place advertising on hold, as there’s not enough cash left in the monthly budget. But you could be doing your business a disservice by ignoring the marketing needs of your business.

Should you be trying do it yourself marketing or not? Here’s a few reasons why you should step back and hire an advertising and marketing professional instead.

Marketing professionals have access to market research that you do not. Several business firms focus only on online market research, and publish their findings each month. Marketing firms pay a subscription fee to have access to this information, and can pass on the information at a fraction of the cost to you.

It’s more than a matter of having access to online market research. It’s also a matter of analyzing the data, to see how it fits with your particular industry. Sure, you can receive a report full of numbers, figures, and graphs, but do you know how to read it, and do you even have the time?

Time is a big factor in how a business owner divvies up their daily schedule. There’s many demands on their time, from ordering supplies, to accounting, and handling staff. By the end of the day, there likely isn’t time to figure out where you should be advertising, or what marketing methods you should be trying.

What works for one particular type of industry may not work for another one. A billboard may be perfect for a hospitality type of business, but not do so well for a dog grooming business. Websites generally are the perfect fit for all types of businesses, and mobile sites work well for many businesses as well. There are also new marketing methods, such as social media advertising, and Google advertising that may be effective for your business. Traditional businesses may benefit from a Yellow Pages listing, whereas a progressive sort of business may bomb in the Pages.

There’s nothing wrong with your initial efforts when starting out marketing your business, but the more you want your business to succeed, the more you need to hire a marketing expert to attend to the special needs of your business.

Do it yourself marketing may be fine for when you’re just starting out, but after a few months of operation it’s time to call in the pros. Why sit around in an office waiting for the calls to come in, when you can hire a marketing expert who can take your business to the next level? Please contact Direct West Media Group Inc. about how you can make your business succeed in your particular market.

Seven Signs That You Need Help with Your Marketing

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ConfusedWhen new businesses start out, they can benefit from an effective marketing campaign. There’s not one type of business that is guaranteed to pull in the customers, so advertising and marketing gets the message out to your audience. As your business grows, it’s also important to add advertising to your business plan, so you can meet your goals.

If you’ve neglected the marketing area of your business for too long, you may start seeing signs that it’s time to spend some effort on your campaign. Here’s a few signs that indicate it’s time that you need to get some help with your marketing and advertising needs.

1. If you’ve been neglecting your advertising or marketing needs, then likely you either don’t have time to handle it, or you don’t know how what to do. It could be time to call in an expert, who can help you focus on where you need to get started.

2. Are your telephones too quiet? This could be an indication that business is slowing down. Since we’re heading into fall, this could be troublesome, as the fall should be a busy season. It may be time to jumpstart a new marketing campaign, to draw more visitors to your business.

3. If your website is getting few visitors, it may not just be the overall design, but it could be because your potential customers just aren’t on a laptop computer anymore. Many people have made the switch to tablets and smart phones. If your website hasn’t been optimized for mobile usage, you could be turning away customers with your bulky website. It may be time to set up a mobile website to handle your ever-changing market.

4. If you’re starting to scribble your phone number on pieces of paper, it may be time for some brand new business cards. But don’t just reorder cards from ten years ago, order new ones with your business’s social media accounts, as well as website and full contact details. Business cards are changing with the times.

5. A coffee shop or restaurant should never be quiet. People eat at all hours of the day and night, and you can see that at busy franchises. So, if your restaurant is getting quiet, it may be time to start a new social media program to start drawing traffic your way, through a special promotion.

6. Are even your employees heading to the competition? If you own a restaurant or a store, and your employees are heading next door to do business, it may be time to dust off your signage. Perhaps you need some interior signage to spiff up the place?

7. If you’re way too busy to tackle your social media, it may be time to hire someone to do it for you. Just because your business is busy, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be continuing to market your company. Be sure to constantly keep your business in the public eye, so it’s never quiet.

If your business is suffering any of these seven signs that you need help with your advertising or marketing needs, now is the best time to give Direct West Media Group Inc. a call so they can help your business to thrive and grow with the times.