Why Your Reputation is an Integral Part of Your Business

So you have your business name, your products, your website and your lead generation strategy in place; now all you need is for the money to start rolling in, right? Well, not quite. As any business owner knows, reputation is everything and a good reputation will keep your profits rising more than any sort of advertising can do.
When your business is offline, such as a restaurant, dry cleaner, gift shop or any number of other industries, you want to drive local traffic to your site so they know where you are located and you can meet them in person to cater to their needs. So really there are two parts to the equation here: one, they need to know you exist in their local area; and two, they need to be able to read reviews and trust that you are the best one to give them what they want.

Positive customer reviews are the fastest and most reliable way to get customers inside your store and increasing your profits. The more positive reviews you have online, the more your reputation will increase. Your traffic will increase almost exponentially and your store will be filled with customers from the time you open until the time you close. This will attract the attention of other consumers who are shopping in nearby stores and they’ll want to know what all the fuss is about.
One way to get reviews is to have your customers fill out comment and rate cards while they’re in your store and ask them for their permission to post it to your website (without their full name of course, to protect their privacy.) Have a page that is dedicated to testimonials and reviews, and also post some on each page of your site.
Google Places is another great way to build your reputation and get found on Google. You can add photos, videos and other content to let potential customers know why they should choose you over the competition. You can even respond to reviews that people have posted there. It’s a great way to interact with your customers.
Google Places will also let you know what keywords your potential customers are searching on, and what types of products and services are important to them. When you know your customer, you can make better business decisions and give them exactly what they are looking for. They will reciprocate by dealing exclusively with you and telling all of their friends.

Building a good reputation for your business will give you an edge over the competition and once you have established yourself, you won’t need to spend as much on advertising and marketing – your customers will do it for you! Statistics show that if you have positive reviews about your establishment, people are 60% more likely to try you out. Of course, there is still the matter of great customer service, great products, great prices and a great location. But once you have a customer’s loyalty, you have it for life, and no amount of advertising can match that.