The Importance of Managing Online Reputation as a Cleaning Business
In today's business environment, your cleaning business must have a positive online presence to thrive.Status Labs found that 70% of people read through the online reviews of local companies before deciding whether to use their services.Some of the things consumers check for when judging the legitimacy of a company are active social media pages, an active blog, positive reviews on Google and social media pages, and lots of recommendations on the Google business page.Cleaning companies that rely on word of mouth recommendations should be aware of their online reputation.New clients will base their buying decision on reviews. Negative reviews, dead links, inactive pages, or lack of an online presence could lead to loss of business.Keep reading for more information on why you should prioritize the management of your online reputation in order to grow your cleaning business.
What Is Online Reputation Management?
Online reputation management is the process of creating a positive online presence for your company.The goal is to ensure that whenever someone searches for your company online, the top results should be positive information and reviews about your business. A potential client should always be able to find something positive about your company.Proactive online reputation management includes keeping up with your online reputation and always delivering good customer service.For example, if a client leaves a negative review about a cleaning job, you can respond by explaining why things went wrong. Be sure to apologize and offer to resolve the issue if you were in the wrong.You could also create online content that would push negative news about your company off the first page of search results. This is because most online users never go beyond the first page of their search results. You have to ensure that your company features positively on the first page of searches related to your business.This is what the media world refers to as 'good PR.'
Why Online Reputation Management Is Important for Your Cleaning Business
In the internet age, lacking an online presence is equivalent to business suicide.Most clients read an average of 10 reviews before they decide whether to purchase a product or service. Negative reviews can deprive a company of sales. Many consumers say they wouldn’t purchase services from a company that has less than a 4-star review rating.If your cleaning business has zero reviews or less than a 4-star rating, you may lose business to competitors with a more positive online presence.Having an online reputation management strategy helps your company to rank positively on the first page of Google searches relevant to your business. Reviews are also great feedback that allows you to identify strengths and weaknesses in your business.In case a crisis of negative PR occurs, you will be able to better reduce the damage to your online reputation with an active online management strategy.
How to Improve Your Cleaning Business’ Online Reputation
There are certain things you can do immediately to improve your cleaning business online reputation.First, you need to make sure that all your website content, as well as blog content, is search engine optimized. Your company needs to feature on the first page of search results on search engines.There are certain things that make your content popular, such as having catchy headlines, using the right keywords, having original content, and using images. If you aren't sure how to optimize your website, there is a lot of free information online on how to do it.You'll also need to create and publish original content regularly. It would be best to have a mix of different types of content, such as blog posts, videos, press releases, and social media posts. This creates authority and trustworthiness around your brand.It's also important to get positive client ratings.
Using Feedback as a Tool
Find ways to encourage clients to leave positive online reviews on your company pages. For example, you could ask them for a review after you have completed a great cleaning job. You could also send out online feedback forms to your client list to get responses.Most customers want to spread the word if you do a great job anyway, but they tend to forget. Sometimes just asking them goes a long way.Monitor your business reviews on sites such as Google and Yelp. Promote any positive reviews you get and quickly respond to negative ones, highlighting your solutions to any complaints raised.You should also put Google alerts on for your company name so that you receive a notification whenever your business is mentioned online. That way, you can promote good news and perform damage control on bad news.Finally, you should put someone in charge of your social media management to ensure you regularly send out messages consistent with your brand image. If you have the budget, you could hire an online reputation management company to perform all these tasks for you.
Online Reputation Management Can Improve Your Cleaning Business Success
Taking care of your online reputation can definitely lead to an increase in your sales.Clients will search for local cleaning businesses and if you get your marketing right, your company will appear on the first page of their results. Pair this with numerous 5-star reviews about your cleaning services, and you'll have landed yourself a new client.Keep in mind that succeeding in getting a positive online reputation is an ongoing process. You and your team will need to constantly post content, ask clients for reviews, and manage any negative news or reviews about your business. If you don’t have an online presence, or if you have a negative online reputation, it may take a few months to correct this.Be prepared to put in some time and effort to make sure that your company shines online.To learn about your options of running your own cleaning franchise business, contact us today.