Time to get real for a second. Building a strong brand reputation can take years. But killing it?
In our lightning-fast age of information, that can literally happen overnight. And while you’re over there tweaking your latest campaign or perfecting your product lineup, you might be making a few mistakes that are undermining all your hard work without you even realizing it.
Ignoring Your Online Reputation
Ahh, remember the days when all you needed for a digital presence was a simple website? Yep, us too. But those days are long gone, buried in the same technology graveyard as flip phones and dial-up internet.
These days, your online rep isn’t just an optional side gig you work on when you feel like it. It’s truly the new front door to your biz, whether you’re a B2C, B2B, or any other letter-combo in between.
Greenwich Associates put out a study that tells us 80% of institutional investors use social media as part of their regular workflow, and approximately 30% say information obtained through social media has directly influenced an investment decision or recommendation. Numbers don’t lie, friends!
According to Hubspot, 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make purchasing decisions. That’s like three-quarters of your potential business partners checking your LinkedIn before even thinking about a contract.
From our own observations with clients, the nitty-gritty is that engagement levels matter, but there’s a Goldilocks zone you’ve got to hit.
Over-engage, and you shoot yourself in the foot. For instance: forcing convos, commenting on literally everything, and essentially invading the personal space of your audience, except, you know… digitally. Not good.
Barely engage, and it’s also not good. You don’t want to be that CEO ghost who drops a post once a month, and then doesn’t respond. Ever.
Moderate engagement, like moderation in everything else in life, is the way to go. This means consistent, thoughtful interaction with your audience that offers value but doesn’t overwhelm them. This is the sweet spot.
Failing to Encourage Customer Advocacy
Want to know what’s better than you telling folks how great your brand is? Other folks are doing it for you. Except shockingly, there are many businesses that treat customer testimonials like some exotic marketing tactic, instead of like the diamonds for your brand rep they actually are.
Do you even recall the last time you encouraged a happy client to leave a review? Do you have a system to help collect and showcase positive customer feedback and stories? If you’re scratching your head right now, we need to talk, my friend.
Here’s the reality. If you don’t have a steady stream of good reviews, the next time you get a single one-star review bomb, it’s going to outweigh everything else in the public perception. Our brains are just wired that way. We’re attracted to drama as a species.
Keep it simple, though. To follow up after a successful project, make sure you put a link in your email signature with an easy review link, and if someone tags you on social media, acknowledge them.
These small tactics can morph a stream of satisfied customers into your best brand advocates. And the best part is that they work for free! Well almost. A thank you will suffice. But certainly less pricey than your marketing department.
Having an Outdated Website
I’m sure you’ve encountered at least one in the last year. One of those websites that looks like a MySpace relic, with outdated information and poor navigation. Your website is like your digital storefront. Think of it like a brochure. You want it to make a stellar first impression.
Nearly 75% of users make snap judgments based on website design about a business and its credibility. Rocking an outdated website just makes your business appear lazy, unprofessional, and unimpressive.
Quick tips on evaluating whether your site is outdated for 2025: loading times over 3 seconds, poor mobile-responsive design or nonexistent mobile design, and old content that isn’t evergreen and provides outdated information.
Keep in mind you might not need a complete revamp. Even regular updates to your content, fresh images, a design refresh periodically, security patches. All of these can go a long way to keeping your digital storefront looking more welcoming, and less like an internet relic.
Remember, it’s the face of your brand 24/7, regardless of whether or not you nurture it and tend to its upkeep. But unlike that office plant, a dead website will cost you business.
Granted, none of these tips are the be-all and end-all of your brand rep, but they’re dead simple to implement. So why not give it its best shot at shining bright? Let’s talk.
