Online Reputation Management Begins Offline
As a follow-up to yesterday’s “Search Engine Reputation Monitoring” post – I thought it would be good karma to discuss an article I saw today.
Fellow SEMpdx‘er Todd Mintz posted an Online Reputation Management article on Search Engine Guide today. The article, titled “Online Reputation Management Begins Offline”, examines the case of a Bend, Oregon restaurant and the impact of their offline behavior on their online reputation (hint – it isn’t good, and is likely losing them customers). I think it’s a great illustration of the impact that the internet can have on real-life bricks & mortar customers, and vice versa.
[...] first rule of Online Reputation Management is that you have to have a good reputation offline. You can employ all the smartest tactics and make short term fixes, but if you’re a disaster [...]
Thanks for pointing out the other article to me, Ben. We always teach that reputation management begins at home. All the efforts in the world to seek good reviews online can be for nothing if you don’t take care of the customer.
I’m curious about the follow up of the restaurant. Did they do any damage control with the lady? Once the negative review is out there, you can’t ignore it.
We teach businesses to immediately and professionally respond to any negative commentary with three things:
1. An apology
2. A reassurance that the incident is not the norm
3. An offer to make amends.
Good article, thanks.