Speaker 1: Do you ever feel like online reviews have mystical powers over you? One minute you're totally about to buy something, and the next you're like, nope, not risking it after one bad review.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 1: So, we are diving deep into this whole world of reputation marketing today.

Speaker 2: Oh, right.

Speaker 1: We found this blog post called, what is it again?

Speaker 2: Reputation marketing, what, why, and how.

Speaker 1: Yeah, reputation marketing, what, why, and how, and we're going to break it down, figure out why it matters for our businesses, big or small, whatever.

Speaker 2: Yeah, because your online reputation, that is your business these days. It's not like it used to be, you know, when you could just have a pretty website and call it a day.

Speaker 1: Totally. And this blog post, it made a really good point. It said people are more likely to trust like a random review from some person online than like some fancy marketing thing you paid a bunch of money for, like a brochure or something, like, it's kind of crazy when you think about it.

Speaker 2: It is, it is.

Speaker 1: We just trust strangers that much.

Speaker 2: It's huge, and it's not just that we're reading reviews, we're actively seeking them out.

Speaker 1: That's so true. Oh my gosh, just the other day I was going to try this new pizza place, and their website was amazing. Looked delicious. Right. But then I went on, you know, to the reviews, and there were a couple two-star reviews complaining about soggy crust, and that was it. I was like, nope, not today. You're done. Done.

Speaker 2: Instead. It's huge, and the good news is you have power in this situation.

Speaker 1: Okay, good. Because I was feeling a little powerless for a second.

Speaker 2: This blog post lays out some real practical things that we can do. Number one is we need to be encouraging feedback. And I don't mean just sticking a leave a review button on the website. You got to make it easy for people to leave reviews, whether they loved your product or service or they had a bad time. It's all good.

Speaker 1: So how do you actually encourage it, though?

Speaker 2: So this blog post recommended maybe embedding a feedback form right on your website.

Speaker 1: Oh, okay.

Speaker 2: Or partnering up with a review platform for your industry.

Speaker 1: Smart.

Speaker 2: So smart. You know, there's Yelp. There's all sorts of things. Just make it easy for people to tell you what they think.

Speaker 1: Okay. That makes sense. Yeah. But that does then lead to the question of, like, how much are we supposed to be monitoring this stuff?

Speaker 2: Well, you're preaching to the choir. Yeah. But it really is important to be on top of it. So, you know, set up a Google alert, track your business name.

Speaker 1: Oh, that's a good idea.

Speaker 2: And any relevant keywords.

Speaker 1: I like that.

Speaker 2: Okay. So that way you'll know what people are saying because then you can chime in, address concerns.

Speaker 1: Right.

Speaker 2: Okay.

Speaker 1: Thank a happy customer.

Speaker 2: Be present. Be present. Exactly.

Speaker 1: Build those relationships. It's true.

Speaker 2: Like you said, it's a relationship. It's not just...

Speaker 1: It's a marathon, not a sprint. Yeah. There you go. This blog post also mentioned something I thought was important, and honestly, we don't talk about it enough. Okay. It's not just about the star reviews. It's really every interaction you have with a customer.

Speaker 2: 100%.

Speaker 1: That shapes your reputation. Like online, offline, everything.

Speaker 2: Right. Because they might not remember exactly what you said. Yes. But they'll remember how you made them feel.

Speaker 1: Oh, that's so true. Like just the other day. Yeah. I was returning a dress to this boutique.

Speaker 2: Oh, no.

Speaker 1: And the lady was so rude to me. It was within the return window, everything. But her attitude was just, I was like, never coming back here again.

Speaker 2: It sours the whole experience.

Speaker 1: The whole thing. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2: So it's like you said, it all adds up.

Speaker 1: It all adds up. To this overall feeling you have about a company or whatever.

Speaker 2: It's that long game.

Speaker 1: Yeah. So I guess what we're learning today is reputation marketing.

Speaker 2: It's huge.

Speaker 1: It's not just like a one and done thing. No. It's something you have to be doing all the time.

Speaker 2: Always be nurturing.

Speaker 1: Yeah. Nurture.

Speaker 2: That's a good word for it. And you know what? You got to turn those happy customers into advocates.

Speaker 1: Ooh, I like that.

Speaker 2: You're the ones that are going to leave you the great reviews. Right. They're going to tell all their friends about you.

Speaker 1: Your own little marketing team out there.

Speaker 2: Exactly. Word of mouth is still king, right?

Speaker 1: 100%. 100%. Yeah. I love that. Turn your customers into your marketing team. That's great. And if you want to get started with that, you need to check out the website. This blog recommended, what was it called again?

Speaker 2: LeverageReputation.com.

Speaker 1: LeverageReputation.com. We'll link to that in the show notes. And in the meantime, go out there, build those five...