Partner Article

How to build a digital reputation

Before you can build a reputation it is probably best to understand what is meant by the term ‘reputation’ as there are lots of thoughts and definitions. But, put simply, reputation is what people think of you or your business when you are not there.

A strong reputation can take years to build but seconds to destroy. You just need to ask Gerald Ratner who, for the younger readers, was the jeweller who famously said: “We also do cut-glass sherry decanters complete with six glasses on a silver-plated tray that your butler can serve you drinks on, all for £4.95. People say, ‘How can you sell this for such a low price?’ I say, because it’s total crap.”

This famously became known as doing a Ratner and wiped £500 million from the value of Ratner’s Jewellers with that one speech in 1991.

The interesting fact here was that this was before the invention of social media. Ratner’s speech was very high profile at the time but even a small business can ‘do a Ratner’.

A throw away comment on Twitter or an inappropriate picture on Facebook from you or an employee can start to affect your digital reputation.

Whilst talking about social media, have you ever considered how you act may be affecting your reputation? A classic example is the ‘hard-seller’- buy our products, we can offer you a service etc.

Remember the key word in social media is ‘social’. It’s certainly not called ‘hard sell media’. Remember, people buy from people so how you are perceived in social media can affect your reputation.

At the other end of the scale is being too social. Some people often comment, “ I’m not interested in what you had for dinner or what your dog looks like.“

However, engaging with people and posting ‘likes’ or ‘re-tweets’ about such trivial matter does show you are interested and can put you at the forefront of someone’s thoughts if they are looking for a product or service.

So, what’s the secret? You have to mix it up. Be social and engage but also remind people what you do occasionally- mention successes, show off your work, give free tips and advice and offer free help. All of these will build the digital reputation.

The second area for building your digital reputation is your website. Creating a reputation type for your website based on your target market can be extremely powerful. Here are some examples.

Most people searching on the internet are looking for 3 things.

1. To save money,

2. To save time.

3. To solve a problem (work or knowledge)

You have to make it clear by your reputation that you can respond, so creating a reputation type will help you engage. Here are some examples: -

Reputation by Expertise

Are you THE expert in your field? Use your website to explain how you have come to this. As money gets tighter, more and more people are using experts, single source suppliers as they need to get it right first time. If you can prove you are the expert and back this up with case studies and testimonials then visitors will feel confident and use your services

Reputation by Association

Who are you working with? If potential buyers can see who your clients are and who you are capable of working with then they are more likely to get in touch as they will feel confident. You can tie this into the reputation by expertise as well. Also, don’t worry, no one will steal your clients as they don’t know your relationship with the companies you are working for, it could be a relation for example.

Reputation by Quality

Despite there being a recession people will still pay for quality. You just need to look at the high end car dealers. However, if you are going down this route, your website, product images and photography need to show significant investment. For example, try selling a high end product with poor photography

Reputation by Knowledge

Different to, but not dissimilar to, expertise. Do you have the inside scoop on industry information? Do you know how to make things work? Can you fix problems? Putting new and inside information on your website will certainly get people visiting and revisiting your site.

Reputation by Price

Mainly for e-commerce but can be used for services you need to establish and prove you are the cheapest, but not compromising on quality. Use phrases like ‘price-matching’ or ‘best deals’ but avoid claiming you are the cheapest, unless you are 100% sure.

Once you have defined the reputation you want to create through your website and social media, stick with it and build up your reputation. Once people start saying you were the cheapest, you fixed the problem or that they got the information off your website, visitors will increase, conversion will increase and therefore business will increase- and this is why we build your reputation.

Written by Alan Foster from Design365

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Design365 .