Common Online Reputation Management Mistakes Small Businesses Make (and How to Fix Them!)
Apple. Google. Meta. Nike. If you start naming off the world's biggest, well-known companies, everyone has an idea about their reputation.
They can tell you if they like their products, customer service, and more. The whole world may not know about your small business like they do about Apple, but your surrounding community and network might.
They know about your small business's reputation based on personal experience, online reviews, social media, and marketing efforts. All of these factors play into your online reputation management.
Let's examine common mistakes small business owners may make with their online reputation management and how to fix them.
Ignoring Online Reviews/ Only Paying Attention to Negative Ones
The Mistake: Many small businesses don't regularly check review platforms or focus only on bad reviews while failing to acknowledge the (hopefully majority) positive ones. This means they miss opportunities to thank happy customers and show potential customers they value feedback.
The Fix: Set up alerts on platforms like Google Business Profile, Yelp, or Facebook so you know as soon as a review is posted. Respond to every positive or negative review within a reasonable time frame (we recommend checking and responding to reviews at least once a day during the business week). Thank customers for good feedback by acknowledging their name and tailoring the response to their review (if applicable). If it's a negative review, address their concerns calmly and with a solution-focused approach.
Responding Defensively or Emotionally to Criticism
The Mistake: Negative reviews can sting, especially when they feel unfair or unwarranted. However, replying with a defensive or emotional response can worsen the situation and damage you and your business's credibility.
The Fix: Take a deep breath before responding. Keep replies polite, professional, and focused on resolving the problem. Invite the customer to continue the conversation privately by email or phone. A private discussion diffuses tension and shows others you care about making things right (without airing out a potentially emotional conversation in public view).
Not Claiming or Updating Business Listings
The Mistake: An unclaimed Google Business Profile or outdated Yelp page can confuse customers, hurt local search rankings, and make your business seem inactive. In addition to potentially incorrect (or flat-out missing) information, an inactive account has the potential to be just as detrimental to your business as not having one at all.
Consider This: You're looking for a contractor to repair your roof. In this scenario, let's say you find two comparable organizations with the same quality of service at the same price point. You then click on to their respective social media channels; one updates their listings and profiles on a weekly basis with interesting and helpful resources, and responds to their reviews on a daily basis. The other hasn't responded to any reviews (except maybe one or two negative ones), and their last post is from last October.
Which of these two businesses would you call?
The Fix: Claim and verify your business on all major platforms relevant to your industry. Keep your contact information, business hours, website link, and photos up to date. Post
at least once a week on your listings. Even small details like a current profile photo or seasonal post can make a big difference in how your business is perceived.
Inconsistent Branding Across Platforms
The Mistake: Using different or old logos, colors, tone of voice, or messaging across your website, social media, and ads can dilute brand recognition and confuse customers.
The Fix: Create a simple brand style guide that covers logo usage, brand colors, fonts, and tone of voice. Apply it consistently to all marketing materials and platforms. The more cohesive your brand looks and sounds, the more trustworthy it will appear. Additionally, if you ever update your branding, make sure you initiate a full-scale digital audit to ensure no old branding finds its way through.
Neglecting Social Media Engagement
The Mistake: Some businesses only post sporadically or use social media solely for self-promotion, ignoring comments, direct messages, and tags, and failing to share content that is truly helpful for the customer during the buying process. This lack of consistent and meaningful posting makes followers (your clients) feel like the company is talking at them, not with them.
The Fix: When possible, treat social media as a two-way conversation. Post regularly, share both promotional and community-focused content, and respond to comments and messages (as well as clear out any spam). A little interaction and effort goes a long way in building loyalty and trust.
Overlooking the Power of SEO in Reputation Management
The Mistake: Even if your business has glowing reviews, they won't help much if people can't find you online. Without search engine optimization (SEO), harmful content may rank higher than your website or positive mentions.
The Fix: Optimize your website with relevant keywords, location-specific phrases, and well-structured content. Regularly publish fresh content such as blogs, FAQs, and press releases. Fresh content improves visibility and helps positive, accurate information outrank harmful or outdated content.
Failing to Monitor Brand Mentions Beyond Reviews
The Mistake: Many small business owners only watch review sites like Google or Yelp, forgetting that conversations happen everywhere: on forums, blogs, local news sites, and social media groups.
The Fix: Use free tools like Google Alerts or paid options like Mention or Brandwatch to track your business name online. This way, you can join conversations, correct misinformation, and thank people for positive mentions before the conversation gets away from you.
Letting One Crisis Define Your Reputation
The Mistake: A single bad incident, whether a negative news story, a viral complaint, or a misunderstanding, can overshadow years of good service if you don't respond quickly and effectively.
The Fix: Develop a crisis communication plan in advance. Decide who will act as spokesperson, prepare response templates, and establish a straightforward customer information process. The goal is to respond swiftly, honestly, and consistently so you can start rebuilding trust right away.
Turning Mistakes into Momentum
Online reputation management isn't a one-time project—it's an ongoing process.
Every review, comment, and brand mention is a chance to show who you are as a business. When you treat mistakes as opportunities to improve, you strengthen your credibility and earn long-term trust.
Your small business may not have global recognition like Apple or Nike, but your reputation is just as important in your community. Take control of, protect, and nurture it; you'll see the benefits in customer loyalty, referrals, and growth.
Partner With Cole-Dalton Marketing Services
Our Cole-Dalton Marketing Services team aims to help small businesses succeed. We focus on marketing management services so you can focus on your business's core.
Our team can help you build a full-fledged reputation marketing strategy for your company, allowing you to harness the power of what your happiest customers have to say on your behalf. Getting great reviews and knowing how to use them helps more prospects get to know, like, and trust you, ultimately recommending you to their friends and neighbors.
Check out our capabilities and marketing systems
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get in touch to take your business to the next level!
