Your reputation is everything. It was hard enough a couple of decades ago to keep your reputation squeaky clean; it’s a million times harder today with such pervasive digital connections. From your website to social media, maintaining a positive professional image as a home health care agency is important not just to your existing clients but potential ones as well. A negative review about the quality of your care could turn off clients and put a big damper on your marketing efforts, not to mention your ability to grow and thrive. You need reputation management.
What used to spread locally via word of mouth is now shared globally, thanks to online review sites, blogs and social media making it much too easy for people to let everyone know what they think about you. While this can be a remarkable way to market your business, it can also damage it just as easily, if not easier, if you’re not careful. Good news is, you have powerful tools at your disposal to influence the conversation about your brand, says Inc.com. Part of that is providing top-notch customer experiences, of course, but there are other opportunities you can use in order to add value.
Reputation Management Defined
Quite simply, reputation management involves the improvement of a company’s reputation online. Don’t underestimate the cost of a poor reputation. It can follow you everywhere, and it can do so for years if someone’s not on top of your online presence every single day. It most likely won’t be you: you’re too busy managing your elder care or home health agency.
The reality is sobering: research shows that it takes 12 positive experiences to repair the damage caused by a single unresolved negative one, says Forbes. Furthermore, 22% of people who have had a bad experience will comment about it online, while just 9% who have had a good experience will do the same, says Social Media Today. How can you combat the negative effects of reviews on your reputation while optimizing for the positive ones? It takes time, patience and dedication, which is why you need to hire an outside reputation management firm to handle this. For small businesses like yours, especially in such a sensitive industry as home care, you may not be able to afford the Hollywood-esque reputation protectors like you see on TV. Many web designers these days offer online reviews management services built right into their online marketing offerings.
Typical Reputation Management Services
Reputation managers act as your own PR agency, shielding you from online negative reviews and social media rants that can severely damage your standing in the community. It’s not like you’re selling shoes online: you’re offering extremely sensitive services that involve someone’s loved one. Screw that up and you could lose that client and everyone that client deigns to tell. Worst part is, it’s not always something you’ve done. It could be misplaced frustration on the part of a past client, or it could all be one big misunderstanding. Either way, it’s your problem. How you handle it will make or break your business.
Here are some typical online review and reputation management services you can expect:
- Active PR strategy
- Social media updates
- Content development
- SERP management
- Development of blogs and support forums
- Management of Google reviews and Yelp reviews
- Monitoring of industry-specific review sites
Online reviews can have a far-reaching impact on your company. That’s where Online Reviews Management and Marketing, or ORMM, comes in to encourage and promote the placement of favorable reviews while also responding and even removing unfavorable reviews. Good ORMM will help you achieve higher rankings in SERPs and get higher click through rates. While reviews on your Facebook page are important, the ones that appear on outside official review sites are even more so. When it comes to Google, Yelp, and Facebook, these are the most critical review sites for elder care and home care SEO.
It’s only natural that users will gravitate to the business that has the highest number of positive reviews. Think about your own search habits. And with Google now ranking companies more favorably that have high numbers of positive reviews, you can’t afford to miss out on this opportunity. While Facebook doesn’t appear in SERPs, it is a frequently-visited site by your core demographic: adult children of the elderly looking for appropriate care for their loved one.
Why Your Reputation Matters
Search Engine Journal points out that 84% of all consumers read online reviews, browsing an average of four to six reviews before they begin to trust a business. Trust, as you know, is at the heart of your home care business. As a company that works with the elderly and their families, you need to build a reputation in your community for reliability, skill, care, and compassion. Failure to maintain that image can negatively affect not just your bottom line but your ability to remain a viable presence in your niche going forward.
Contact A Servant’s Heart Web Design and Marketing
We want your reputation to shine. Let us help you with your online reviews management efforts. Call us now at (760) 227-2720 to learn more.
