Building and maintaining a strong reputation is key to the success of any company. In business, especially small and local businesses, your reputation is everything. Unfortunately, most companies do a poor job of managing their reputations in general. According to the Harvard Business Review, “Effectively managing reputational risk begins with recognizing that reputation is a matter of perception.”

But how can small local businesses go about managing how others perceive their company? According to Thrive Hive, a good business reputation is important, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It is developed over time, across many channels: online, offline, in various communities, in you, your employees, and more.

To help you get started, we’ve compiled some simple tips and tactics for local and small businesses seeking to build respect and a positive reputation in their community:

Become an expert in your field and share your expertise, knowledge, and experience with everyone. Stay on top of industry and local topics, news, and issues, and share that knowledge expertise with the public. Commit to continuous learning and engagement with all communities relevant to your business—including geographically local, online, and professional /industry-related communities. Create a blog and/or resources page on your website accessible to everyone. Promote your small business blog to the people it will help. Send the message that you don’t just want people’s business, you want to engage with and support the communities your business operates in and relies on for success.

Facilitate success for other people and businesses, not just yours.
Your efforts to build and maintain a good reputation shouldn’t just focus on getting people to engage with your company, but also to engage with each other and strengthen the community as a whole. Connect like-minded professionals to each other, refer people to neighboring businesses, and partner with local organizations. This is a great way to distinguish your business from competitors, and build a solid reputation in your community.

Engage with and support the local community.
There are many ways to build and manage your company’s reputation by engaging with, supporting, and serving the community: Volunteer at a local nonprofit, host fundraisers, give to charity, or offer your services to community members in need. Mentor students who are interested in your field, host a free webinar online or run a workshop in your community. If you consistently give back to your community, it will give back to you as well.

Ask for Feedback.
Stay on top of what people are saying—online and offline—about your company, its products and services. Monitor review sites and social media platforms and engage with other users on these sites. Ask for referrals and online reviews from your customers and respond to all reviews and public comments (both positive and negative) in a professional and timely manner. You can also ask questions or create a short poll on social media to solicit feedback and gauge the current strengths and weaknesses of your branding and reputation management efforts.

Silva Construction Group is a premium home improvement firm serving northern Virginia since 2010. The firm’s skillset and wealth of home remodeling and design-build experience have earned it a strong reputation for quality workmanship and excellent customer service. Our customers value our honesty, integrity, and value.

Contact us today to learn more about who we are and why Silva Construction is the right contractor for all your home improvement projects.