When it comes to your company’s online reputation, be proactive, says Aaron Helfman, director of marketing for Korman Residential.
Speaking this week at the Apartment Internet Marketing conference in Phoenix, Helfman, along with Jamie Gorski, senior vice president of corporate marketing for the Bozzuto Group, said that there is a lot more to managing an online presence than just social media.
“You need to be concerned with results on the first page of a search,” Helfman says. “If you are on social media, you may think you have completely covered your reputation, but Facebook is just one component.”
Helfman says it’s a major concern that blogs and other web postings by just one disgruntled customer can show up in a search above promotional videos that have cost thousands of dollars to produce. But there is a way to control that.
Helfman says that negative, anonymous reviews can be pushed down in a search if managed properly. “People like bragging about positive experiences with people and places that are important with them because they are happy to share and put their name to it,” he said. “But a non-dissatisfied customer might not want to put face to that. If it’s a proactive approach you can push anonymous reviews lower.”
Although a customer’s voice is protected and they can write whatever they want, he said, the approach should be replacing them with positive comments.
But how do you get those positive comments in the first place? All you have to do is ask, Gorski says.
“When researching and looking for apartments, 52 percent of residents are going to online reviews and ratings sites,” she says. “If asked, 62 percent said they would post a review, but less than 9 percent have been asked.”
That’s a major concern when it comes to online reputation management, she says. “You are creating your brand online. You want to be able to have a hand in that.”
