ReputationChanger.com: Reputation Damage is Ruinous for Businesses

WEST CHESTER, PA, September 14, 2012

In 2012 alone, countless companies and brands have found themselves beset with reputation crises. One immediate example is the case of Chik-Fil-A, which found itself embroiled in scandal after its owner made politically contentious remarks. More recently, the owner of a Florida pizzeria found himself bombarded with negative reviews after he posed for a photo op with President Obama. What these cases go to show is that, for businesses, reputation matters a great deal--a point emphasized in a recent Business Insurance article. The article says that more and more business owners are "[r]ecognizing that consumer backlash in the wake of a poorly handled crisis can be financially devastating to a business," and as such they are making reputation defense and brand management top priorities. Naturally, this finding has won the attention of ReputationChanger.com, an industry-leading reputation monitoring and management firm.

ReputationChanger.com has responded to the Business Insurance article with a new statement to the press. "This article is yet another piece of evidence that shows how serious reputation is in today's business world--and online reputation, in particular," says company CEO Cliff Stein. "For businesses in any industry and any vertical, whether they're selling products online or off, what a Google search reveals about their brand could prove critical, even make-or-break."

Stein attributes the burgeoning importance of online reputation to the rise in consumer review sites and mobile technology. "More and more, statistics are telling us that consumers make their purchasing decisions based on what they read on the Internet," he explains. "Money is tight for a lot of people right now, which means consumers are more than willing to do their due diligence, check out a brand on the Internet, and ensure that they are making the wisest, most prudent purchasing decision."

The ReputationChanger.com CEO says that some businesses are blessed with positive online profiles, but not every company is so fortunate. "ReputationChanger.com has worked with law offices and medical practices, mom and pop stores and Fortune 500 brands," he explains. "Since our inception in 2009, we have witnessed countless businesses brought to the edge of ruin by negative online reviews or defamatory content. The bottom line is that, if you Google the name of your company and do not like what you see, online reputation management is for you."

Stein goes on to explain some of the ways in which online reputation can be critical for businesses. "It's not just about scandals, like the Chik-Fil-A incident," he says. "In many cases, it is something as subtle as a negative review posted to Yelp.com. What business owners must realize, however, is that there is nothing minor about those negative reviews. If that one-star review is the first thing a consumer sees on Google, or if it is some kind of defamatory scam allegation, then that means trouble for the company." Stein remarks that the ill effects of negative online publicity can include decreased sales, lost customers, and even a surge in refund requests.

Companies like ReputationChanger.com seek to help businesses besieged by bad online press. "Our mission is simple--to help our client's brand shine as a real brand of choice among consumers," Stein observes. "At ReputationChanger.com, we believe that companies and individuals deserve a say in how they are presented online. That's the vision that informs everything we do here."

ReputationChanger.com works to effectively suppress negative reviews, pushing them off the first page of search engines and replacing them with positive, brand-enhancing content. "The goal is simple," Stein concludes. "We try to see to it that, when a consumer Googles one of our clients, the only information that comes up is positive and appealing."

ABOUT:

Led by CEO Cliff Stein, ReputationChanger.com is an industry-leading reputation management firm. Founded in 2009 by an elite team of online sales and marketing professionals, ReputationChanger.com is known around the world as the #1 company in its industry, and has delivered its services to a wide range of clients, including restaurants and hotels, medical practices and law firms, political figures and private citizens. The company is passionate about giving clients control over how they are portrayed on the Web.

Website: www.reputationchanger.com