Reputations are something that all of us are tagged with at some point in our lives and depending on the strength of our reputation, it can help or hinder us. In reality, the reputation which we hold as individuals is pretty irrelevant and will not actually help us to define who we are or what we do.

When it comes to business however, reputation is absolutely everything and the strength of the reputation has the power to make or break a company. Many business owners do not consider their online reputation and this is a mistake as the success of their company depends on it, if you fall into this bracket then we are going to share some information with your which we learned from Reputation Management Consultants Eric Schiffer and his specialist team, in terms of how easy it is to destroy your online rep. 

The Power of Review

One of the most beneficial additions to having your business online is the fact that customers are able to give your products and services honest reviews. This is an amazing feature as customers can gain instant trust in you based on the opinion of someone who has already experienced your business. With this being said, whilst the power of a good review can lead to future business, the power of a bad review can do the exact opposite and end up ruining your reputation. The problem with reviews is that anyone can write them, whether they have used your business or not so if there is anyone who is intentionally looking to do you damage, then they can go ahead and leave a series of negative reviews about you.

Social Media

Social media is a juggernaut which, once it gets started, can be very, very hard to stop, if not impossible. This is a great piece of news if you manage to get your business swept up in a storm of positivity but it can very easily go the other way. Twitter in particular has been shown in the last few years as being a place whereby clients can shine the spotlight onto a company based on the slightest piece of negativity and display them in front of the world. The power of social media can not only ruin a reputation, but a business altogether.

Association

Many people fail to regularly assess their affiliations and partnerships on the internet and if you as a business have links to other companies which have done something unsavory, then you can bet your bottom dollar that you will be tarred with the same brush. It is vital that businesses regularly check who their friends are and that they distance themselves from anyone who is doing anything negative, failure to do so will result in your reputation being damaged, potentially beyond the possibility of repair. Guilt is one thing but guilt by association is something which your business can certainly not afford.