If you ignore what customers are thinking or feeling, it can mean trouble for your business. Word of mouth will tell if you are not careful to treat your customers right. The advice below will help you keep your reputation clean.

Give a positive response to the negative feedback that you get. This will show that you are civil and professional. Keep posting positives to allow the negative to slip.

Get more personable online. Posting social media messages is worthless if you don’t communicate regularly with your fans. If a question is posted, answer it quickly. If you are stumped by the question you have been asked, let the person know you are actively searching for the answer they need.

To bolster your reputation, follow up to make sure customers are satisfied. This is even more important if your business is large. It’s important to have them feel like you care for them, like they matter. You can even use automated systems to follow up. You can also ask them to provide feedback on purchases they have made.

Run social media accounts professionally. They are a part of your branding and must be handled with care. You want to appear as a professional that is still accessible as a person.

When searching for any mention of your company online, and then finding something that’s untrue, try petitioning the site owner asking them to remove it. As long as you can show solid proof that this information is libelous, most site owners will have no problems removing it.

Reputation management is a skill that some great companies provide to businesses. You have a lot to do, but trained individuals or companies can do things you haven’t thought of. So, if you need a helping hand, find a trusted company.

Offense is the way to prevent reputation decay. Ensure that lots of happy, positive commentary exists, and the few negative items will pale in comparison. Be sure to keep posting new positive content to keep it fresh, so that any negative feedback slips in the search engine listings.

If you read some negative feedback about your business, the temptation is to get mad. The best thing that you can do is to approach it in a civil manner. Readers can then make their own judgements now that they have read both sides.

It is smart to follow up with customers once they make a purchase. Sometimes, people do not realize there is a problem when they first receive a product. When you check in with them you can help them work out any problems they may be having.

Many sites offer to post fake reviews that are positive and you might think you competitors use them. Don’t get tempted into joining them. In many places it is illegal.

Have a good online personality. Unless you are truly communicating, people won’t care what you write online. If someone posts a question to your social media site, ensure that it is answered as quickly as possible. If someone posts a question and you don’t have the answer, tell them you don’t know but you’re working on getting the answer for them.

Keeping a strong reputation is really important for operating a business. It takes years to get yourself out there, so use these tips to help you. Make sure that you bury all complaints as soon as possible. Your prompt attention to negative matters will win customers over before they get more steamed.