How to Improve the Local Reputation of your Business
If you’re a business based locally, you’ll know that reputation is everything. Exeter is a small enough city with a tight enough community for word to travel fast – which is great news for exciting new restaurants and bad news for stores, shops, and cafes that swiftly gain a negative reputation. So, maintaining a good local reputation, or improving on your business’ local standing, is an important pillar to your future success. Here are four ways that you’ll be able to enhance the image of your brand and business locally in the new year.
Outreach
There’s nothing like a little community outreach to get people interested in what you have to say and to drive respect for your business. Whether you decide to sponsor a school fete, help feed the needy, or simply get your staff out there on the streets giving out free goodies and samples, the more you embed yourself in the community, the more the community will appreciate you. Be careful not to appear gimmicky – you should truly believe in whatever initiative you decide to take part in. But this is a great way to burnish you image in the Exeter area.
Diligence
Citizens and consumers appreciate diligence. The responsibility you take over your own domain might not be something that excites and delights, but it’ll gain you the respect of the people who might trade with your firm. Diligence in this was means managing risks and ensuring the health, safety, and happiness of staff and customers. Read more about how to diligently manage risks at Sword GRC, where a number of white papers detail just how important it is to act responsibly and diligently at all times as a local business.
Customer Service
Your products might be second-rate, and your store might be in need of a repair and a lick of paint, but that’s irrelevant if you’re offering five-star customer service. People tend to warm towards local businesses that are friendly, caring, and interested in their lives. They don’t want to feel that they’re taking part in a transaction – they want to feel you really care and that you’re there to offer them a good experience. Excellent customer service also travels far by word of mouth, which can dramatically increase your footfall and customer retention if you concentrate on offering a better standard of customer service this year.
Reviews
Online reviews are now just as important as word-of-mouth chatter in getting your business heard, seen, and respected. The problem is, one or two negative reviews can leave your business on three or four stars out of five, which can put off customers and influence your reputation locally. But there are ways to counter this effect. If you ask satisfied customers to leave a quick review for you on Google, you’ll ensure that you’re gathering feedback that other locals will use when deciding whether to trust your firm.
Make your firm a little more respected, liked, or even loved in Exeter with the above four tips – designed to improve your standing in the local community.
