A reputation of a brand can be considered the most valuable currency in this Post-Digital Era. In other words, to sell more you need to have the trust of your customer and losing the customer's trust can mean, in some cases, the end of a brand.
That’s right! Trust will generate value. We know that the dollar, pound and euro have their values, but when brands lose a customer’s trust, it takes a lot more than money to get them back in the game.
This currency is intangible, you can't see it, but its strength is incredible, because the relationship between a brand and a consumer is linked first and foremost to the trust that customer has in that brand.
And we can see that all customer consumption habits are linked to trust, for example, the place you choose to do your shopping, where you go to lunch, where you buy household appliances or electronics, where you fill up your car, and even where you decide to invest your money, is always a decision linked to this issue of trust.
When a company establishes trust through relationships with consumers, delivering what it promises and opening channels to listen to its customers if something is not to their liking, but always resolving the issue, it will generate something very powerful in commercial relationships.
In the digital world, this currency is called brand reputation. Have you ever thought about your brand's reputation with your customers? And here it is worth remembering that both individuals and legal entities need to be aware of this in the Age of Reputation.
General Motors manager Eliana Araújo revealed in her talk at Digitalks 2018 that GM used the Reclame Aqui portal to strengthen its relationship with customers, maintaining its reputation high with them, listening to their complaints and meeting their needs.
And listening to her words we can realize that what seems negative (like a tool for complaints) is not always true. digital marketing industry can certainly transform this polarity.
According to Eliana, this channel of dialogue opened by the brand was of fundamental importance for the conversion and loyalty of the brand's customers. In other words, a "crisis" can often be an opportunity, if the brand has a strong reputation. Therefore, companies urgently need to think about working on this concept.
If we think about it, with all the ease with which facts are disseminated, but also immersed in a wave of fake news, information has lost value in relation to reputation.
Good reviews to sell more
The growth of reputation as a currency is happening because companies are increasingly prioritizing customer experience. Customers are the ones who dictate the rules, exposing their desires and dissatisfactions through a true weapon of war: a connected smartphone.
If a brand “messes up” with a customer, there are several channels for the world to find out about it, starting with social media, which has an exponential impact on publications. A text or video can be seen in a very short time by thousands of users on the network, based on shares.
Nowadays, everything is evaluated, isn’t it? When you use a ride-hailing service, don’t you evaluate the driver? What’s more! He also evaluates you. Or, before checking into a hotel, don’t you check the reviews of people who have already stayed at that place, to find out what the reputation of that place is?
Whether it's restaurants, car dealerships, or airlines, everything can be evaluated today. And the rating generated by the evaluations will have incredible relevance for the success of a brand or a person. Just look at the incredible reputation that some YouTubers have acquired in the digital world; they have become important personal brands!
That's why it's so important to rely on customer reviews. It's from their perspective that you can change strategies and get better results. If you have a strong reputation with them, isolated complaints won't shake the foundations of your brand.
But how can small businesses operate in the Age of Reputation??
You might be thinking: “Ah, but this is GM, I’m a small company, I don’t even have a website!”
Even in the era of Digital Transformation, a survey by Cetic.br showed that 48% of small businesses do not have a website. So how can you establish a digital dialogue with customers like this?
One way to change this is Google My Business, a free platform that allows you to include a business on the internet.
You may have even seen the “action” of Google My Business when searching for any topic. You know that open box on your right, with all the data about a company: address, phone number, and sometimes even photos? That's the result of Google My Business.
This allows small businesses to enter the internet, because by registering their business, it will be highlighted in searches by users who search for the company. This alone is already very advantageous, because there is no cost for the company that registers.
But above all, it allows a company to interact with its users more easily, because it has a review area where they can leave their opinion. And before you ask, don't be afraid of negative comments. Do as big companies do, use this channel to listen to your customers and improve your product or service. Rest assured that your reputation will increase with them.
Here is a tip for your company to use this fact as a marketing and sales strategy: ask and encourage your customers to write reviews about your product or service on social media, Google My Business and other channels used by your company. You will reap great rewards from this strategy.
In fact, for local businesses like restaurants, hotels and services, Google My Business reviews can generate incredible results.
Improve customer experience
Of course, to sell more in the Reputation Era, it is also important to improve your customer experience.
The dialogue channels themselves are already a form of experience, but it is always good to be careful not to break the customer's trust, making them happy when purchasing your brand.
If you say that a product has certain features, deliver a product that actually offers what was advertised; if you said you would deliver within a certain time frame, do not fail to deliver; create actions that involve the customer with your brand.
It is necessary to generate good experiences from the first contact, during the closing of the deal and after the sale, this is the best way to increase the brand's reputation and customer loyalty.
Remember that the new consumer evaluates everything, keeps an eye on everything and generates empathy in their dissatisfaction. And that was exactly what GM thought when using customer dissatisfaction to generate relationships and reverse the crisis.
The internet has accelerated things, so decide to also boost your technological engine, so as not to fall behind, because the new consumer is in a hurry to have their requests met, and this is also part of their experience with the brand.
Some technologies can also help you strengthen this relationship with your customer, such as chatbots, which triage services; videos with tutorials on social media to better use your product, in addition to providing groups on Whatsapp, for service and quick resolution of any problems.
All of this will help you sell more in the Reputation Era. Don't miss these points for an integrated view of your business.