In the business-to-business (B2B) world, what people think of you matters. It affects the number of customers, the quality of your sales and ultimately your bottom line. Your reputation both on and offline makes a huge difference for your company. But what is B2B reputation management and how does it work? We’ll answer these questions in this blog post.
Brand reputation is never fully under your control. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Reputation management is the act of improving and protecting the reputation of a company, product or service.
SEO is an important tool in reputation management. It grows sales, and it helps you appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO also pushes positive content above negative content in search results. For good SEO, you should regularly update your company blog using targeted keywords. Link building is another important component of SEO, which you can achieve by guest blogging on other websites and linking back to your website. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads can also boost your online reputation in addition to SEO.
Testimonials are another key component of B2B reputation management. You want to have real, genuine, up-to-date testimonials on your website painting your company in a positive light. Detailed case studies can also boost your reputation. Actively solicit feedback from customers to build your cache of testimonials. Of course, negative reviews are hard to avoid. You should respond to negative comments, or any comments, quickly and without getting defensive. You also need to monitor any mentions of your brand online using a service such as Google Alerts, so you can respond to any feedback at a moment’s notice.
Being active on social media can boost your company’s reputation. You will also want to invest in content marketing to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Having a strong public relations program can help in this area. PR representatives can generate positive press, inform customer opinions, improve brand perception and increase your web presence.
Leveraging your employees as brand advocates can help with reputation management. Make sure you monitor your employees’ social media accounts and online content to make sure they are presenting your company in the best possible light. You will also highlight how your company benefits society. Having a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) program can do wonders for your reputation.
Are you looking to better manage your B2B company’s reputation? Turn to the Borenstein Group, a Top DC marketing agency. We can help manage your reputation to boost your bottom line.