8 mistakes made online by business owners
Many business owners, small, large, online and offline, make mistakes regarding their online reputations. However, all of these errors can be monitored and controlled if you understand what error they are.
Reveal personal information of a customer
You may have good intentions when talking about a specific customer, but the best thing to do is ask for written permission before discussing a customer’s personal data in any way. Some people don’t like it when you talk about them and they realize it’s them. If they can find out, you will be concerned that someone else might know.
Calling others in an intimidating way
It’s one thing to give an honest review of someone’s work, but it’s another to seek to completely ruin their business. For a good example of this, search YouTube for “Freely & Harley Law Suit” and watch the burning wreck of several fitness business owners in a public nightmare involving the Supreme Court of Australia.
Post pictures of your drunk night
Okay, her youngest daughter got married, her oldest had a baby, and her best friend turned 60 in one day. But no one needs to see you drunk and partying in public. While your family and friends will love it, some business associates will question your judgment. Some people may not buy from you.
Choosing weird and cute names for social media profiles
The truth is, unless you give your social media profile the name of your niche or product, using your own name is a good idea. Do not use something personal because you want to represent your business as a moral and honest company that is open about who you are.
Telling lies
Believe it or not, more than one business owner has been caught in a blatant online lie that ruined their entire business. If you’re not earning six figures and you’re not a million dollar blogger, then don’t imply or say that you are. The online world is small in many ways and it will come out sooner or later.
Steal other people’s content
This one is easy to spot, but there have been cases of people stealing other people’s hard work, information products, images, etc. and then they joined the real producer’s Facebook group and tried to promote their products there. Yes, they were humiliated, caught, and ruined in minutes. Do not steal.
Ignore or block complaints
It is a big mistake to ignore or block complaints. Your clients and future clients are looking at how you will handle a complaint and how handling it will help or harm you. Respond quickly and always try to provide your client with a solution to their problem.
Do not open comments on blogs
Keep your blog posts open for comment because having them closed can seem like you don’t like disagreements or different opinions. A blog is social because of the comments. Without the comments, it is useless content.
Lastly, it is important to never behave in an angry and defensive manner, regardless of whether you are right or wrong. This is a big mistake that will backfire. Always be humble, generous, honest, and kind, and you can’t go wrong online.
