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When you’re running a small business you need to take good care of your company reputation. To help you make all the right moves this year, focus on these areas.

1 . Use an omnichannel approach

Customers expect a convenient service, they want to be able to contact brands on a variety of different channels. To improve your reputation, ensure that you provide a great customer experience. You’ll need to use social media, email marketing, chatbots, and telephone services. There are plenty of ways that you can improve the omnichannel marketing experience including:

• Improve your content, ensure that it’s engaging and educational.
• Ensure that you offer faster response times (customers don’t like to wait around).
• Gather customer feedback, to make ongoing improvements.

2. Work with a rep management company 

If you want to improve your reputation it’s worth working with a reputation management company. These services help businesses to monitor their rep online and make improvements. Reputation management companies use social listening tools to monitor brand mentions. They can also help you to collect positive reviews, and handle any negative feedback. There are lots of benefits to working with a reputation management company, such as

• They can offer PR support.
• Gathering online reviews is a great way to market yourself.
• Managing your online reputation alone can be time-consuming.

3. Use feedback wisely

Collecting feedback from customers can help you to make ongoing improvements. You can ask your customers about your products, services, and your marketing. When you gather customer feedback you’ll ensure that your customers feel valued and listened to. The feedback process can improve customer loyalty and improve your reputation at the same time. Gathering useful feedback will help you to optimize your processes and boost productivity.

4. Work on your CSR strategy

If you want to improve your business reputation you should work on improving your CSR strategy. Customers want to purchase with brands that have a clear sense of social responsibility. There are many ways that you can look at improving your CSR strategy including:

• Partner up with charities, or donate to worthy causes.
• Use green materials and practices.
• Ensure that your marketing is diverse and inclusive.
• Help your employees to make a difference in the community.
• Campaign for social justice & express this on social media.

5. Consider your image 

When you’re thinking about your business reputation you must think carefully about your image. Remember, everything you do creates an impression, whether that’s positive or negative. Ensure that your business premises are well looked after. Use bright colors and minimal furniture to create an elegant look. Hang up inspiration artwork, and add indoor plants. Design an attractive environment, to help your staff remain productive. When you’re making improvements, don’t forget the outside of your building. If the asphalt or concrete outside is worn or broken, your premises will look neglected. In this case, you’ll need to contact your local asphalt and concrete contractor.

Focusing on these five areas will help you to improve your business reputation this year. From your online presence to the condition of your workplace, there’s plenty to consider.

6. Look at raising prices

While it’s often seen as something no business should do unless it wants to lose customers, raising prices can be helpful for a business’s reputation. It shows to competitors and the general public, that the business is popular enough to warrant putting up prices.
If your business is looking to increase average order value, make sure the research has been done and the value it’s being increased to, is manageable for customers and clients to afford.

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Reputation matters in business. It dictates everything from the attention you receive now to your prospects. This is especially important for a new company. At this stage, you’re untested and unknown. Your reputation is the only things new customers have to go by. You could say, then, that getting this right is a big deal.

Sadly, as much as a good rep can get your business off the ground, a bad one could put an end to your dreams. That isn’t always the case, of course. Sometimes, teething problems are easy to smooth over without any lasting repercussions. But, making certain mistakes at this stage ensures that these are what stick with people. Issues like these will follow you down every future business path. Often, you’ll find that they’re the nail in your company coffin.

Lucky for you, it doesn’t have to be that way. All you need to do is start giving a damn about your reputation by avoiding the following at all costs.

A bad deal

Bad deals are never good for a new business. While customer service always matters, one disgruntled customer may not be able to unravel you. If you fail to deliver or don’t impress a significant player, though, you could struggle to get big deals again. Far from just one unhappy customer, this will lead to a whole company of them. Not to mention that the business world is a small place. News travels, and you’ll find a black mark against your name before you know. That’s why you should only ever agree to deals you’re 100% confident you can fulfill. Otherwise, you may as well start packing your office now.

A fall from grace

It doesn’t get much worse than workplace injuries. Admittedly, these aren’t unusual. Nearly 4 million people getting hurt at work each year. Still, you should take every legal precaution necessary to keep staff safe. Even in a dangerous workplace like a construction site, a worker injured through negligence could contact a building accident lawyer. If the case went public, you would then struggle to attract new staff. And, without staff, you don’t have a company. Don’t let it happen. Know the law and how to implement it.

Off-mark advertising

We all hope to develop ad campaigns which hit the bullseye. Getting this right early could ensure success like nothing else. Equally, getting it wrong could put a stop to things, especially if your ad is in ill taste. An advertisement which attracts attention for the wrong reasons will become the one thing people associate with your brand. Even big brands struggle to get away with this. Many are still seething about Pepsi’s protest-based ad last year, released not long after the Charlottesville tragedy. While they have enough footing to survive, a similar mistake would ruin your chances. As a general rule, keep any ad clear of politics or potential offense. All the better for keeping your reputation as squeaky clean as it needs to be during these early stages.