It’s truly amazing what can be found online about your business, even though you may never have posted anything or signed up for any listings. And, what is very scary is the impact that this online presence can be having on your business.
In past blogs I have spoken about the need to propagate the internet with a much accurate and consistent information you can about your business. Today I’ll deal with the implications of not taking control of your online presence.
Some of the recent discoveries we’ve made while conducting online audits for our clients include:
- A sole trader who had never employed anyone, yet on LinkedIn there were five people claiming to have been his employees;
- Bad reviews on directories and websites that the business had not even claimed and therefore had little or no control over;
- A Facebook page for a business, but the business had never created it nor did it have control over what was being posted there;
- A local business that had been marked as permanently closed on Google, yet was still operating;
- A phone number for a local business being associated with another business.
With these five examples alone the impacts are pretty obvious. Your reputation could be being tarnished by those who claim to work for you. You aren’t getting any benefit from their association with you, but they could actually be damaging your good name. Your reputation could also be under fire from adverse reviews and slanderous remarks by not only dissatisfied customers but also vindictive competitors.
The process for fixing these issues can often be labour-intensive and sometimes it seems almost impossible. Some of the more complicated cases are because incorrect information has been entered in one directory and then copied into a myriad of other directories, many of which have no easily identifiable contact details.
To find out what’s online for your business you are well advised to embark on an online audit. (See my previous blog entitled Managing Your Online Presence for details on how you can undertake this yourself. Remember, this process should be undertaken on a regular basis, at least every six months, as the online world is changing every moment.
The task can be a lengthy one and if you don’t feel you have the time nor the expertise to undertake it you can always contact a professional such as CJ’s Business Solutions to do it for you.
*Written by Carolyn Jeffrey, the principal of CJ’s Business Solutions. For more help with any of the matters covered in this blog visit www.cjsbusinesssolutions.com.au or call 0435 432 203.