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Just as
Kings and Queens in the past worried about their reputations
and sometimes even went to war to protect them, today's businesses
face similar and new challenges. In the past, even if a satisfied
customer of yours was very popular, there's a good chance
that he or she couldn't influence many people. Realistically,
though, most customers in the pre-digital world days could,
on average, influence maybe 5 to 10 people. We're talking
immediate family, friends, co-workers and that's probably
about it.
With the
Internet infrastructure the size of a customer's formal and
informal network can be in the hundreds or, more typically,
the thousands. And these customers don't have to be wildly
popular industry leaders or social networkers in order to
own such a large network. They can simply be ordinary, everyday
people who blog, post, chat, email and Twitter. And within
a few minutes and a few sentences, these ordinary, everyday
people can reach thousands of people in a matter of seconds.
Because
of information overload, we need to trust it more, because
we don't have the time or resources to do otherwise. The advice,
recommendations and insights we get from our friends, families,
colleagues, strangers who share our interests influences us
much more than ever before because we need it to in order
to function in an information-overloaded culture.
How
To Strengthen Your Reputation
Reputation
is a primary factor in building relationships, working together
and listening to one another. Yet many people are unaware
of the actions that influence their reputation. A good reputation
is a critical link to all good relationships, both personal
and professional. Studies show that productivity, income,
and profits are positively or negatively impacted depending
on the reputation of the business. Reputation can be created
or destroyed through personal perceptions and behaviors.
There
are four key elements to build a good reputation that you
need to be aware of when you are promoting Mastermoves The
four elements are: are:
- Competence
- Do you know how to get the job done? Are they able
to produce results? Do they have the skills to make things
happen? Do you have the experience to inspire people?
-
Integrity
- You have to be honest in your dealings with people. In
practical terms, this means creating and following fair
processes. People need to feel that they are being treated
with respect and honesty. Integrity is also about acting
in a consistent, values-driven manner that reassures customers
that they can rely on you.
- Communication
- Helping people find solutions to their problems is supported
by good communication skills. You need to openly share information
about the products, services, you and the organization you
represent. This allows you to be seen as more of a real
and caring person that any person can identify with. When
you care and concern for other people, it creates a sense
of connection and trust. Help people with problems and your
problem will disappear.
- Reliability
- It means being accountable for their actions and being
responsive to the needs of others. If you promise something,
you must follow through. It also requires being organized
and predictable so that people can see that you have things
in order and are able to follow through on their promises.
Five
Step To Improve Your Reputation
Measuring
the trust in a relationship is a gauge of a good reputation.
In a collaboration where all parties give equally and share
mutual benefits, there must be mutual trust based on the reputation
of each other. Therefore, you must take ownership for developing
and protecting your reputation, and use marketing tools and
tactics to influence it across an expanding array of platforms
on and off the internet. The following are 5 steps of successful
Reputation Marketing that you need to have working for your
business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
-
Manage your business's online identity
- Define a unique niche and become the customer's expert
on it. Make sure your identity is informed, accurate, found
in the internet in all of the right places for the countless
potential customers who will be influenced by what they
read and hear. Beware: even minor problems like having the
wrong phone number or a dead link to your website can not
just cost you business but it can damage your reputation
for a long, long time. Think end-of-time friendships, not
end-of-month totals.
-
Manage your reviews and testimonials
- Achieve a perfect job of delivering what you've promised.
Make sure that what's being said about you is fair and,
ideally, positive. When it's not, you need to intervene,
whether it's on Yelp, Google Places, RateMyDoctor, Online
Yellow Pages, or another influential source, and take smart,
careful steps to put out a fire or ensure that your side
of the story is told without making the problem worse. You
want to give potential customers a chance to see your response
to the problem, and to be impressed by your position and
any actions you took to turn lemons into lemonade.
- Share
Information - Information is power. One of the best
ways to build a good reputation is by sharing information.
Providing people with more complete information communicates
trust and a sense of "we're in this together."
Testimonial, expert opinion, newsletters and articles, they
helps people get aware of the benefits they will receive
from the products and services your are promoting.
- Manage
your Social Media presence and influence - You must
use social media and get your message out to your target
market. You also need to produce and manage social media
spaces of your own - your blog, your Facebook page, and
so on - so that both today's and tomorrow's fans can engage
your business in familiar, friendly, informal social terms.
Remember: your customers talk about your brand in social
media spaces, and future customers find that information
through searches.
- Walking
the Talk - A good reputation, above all, has to be a
walking example of the vision and values of the organization.
The key to leadership is being able to develop a trusting
relationship with others. Without trust, it is impossible
for an organization to function effectively. Trust between
leaders and the people they lead is essential for working
together. If leaders say one thing and do another, people
will question their trustworthiness.
You still
have time to build a solid, lasting strategic CORE Marketing
to build your reputation that includes tools, platforms and
tactics that are built around your unique business and marketplace.
CORE Marketing will help you build your reputation, whether
is branding, target market-rich advertising, internal marketing,
social media, print, public relations, website development,
in-office video, or most likely, a combination of all.
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Building
Reputation 
