Your business reputation is one of the most valuable things your company owns - and the most fragile. It doesn't take a lot for that reputation to shatter and cause even loyal customers to jump from your business to your competitor. Being aware of what might damage your company image can help you be on the lookout for such events and often prevent them from devastating your reputation.

5 Events That Can Tarnish Your Company Image

1. Releasing a Faulty Product

Launching a product before it's been fully tested is tempting. After all, you want to get out ahead of your competition. However, an untested product that turns out to have a flaw can give your company's reputation a hit that can be difficult to recover from. It's better to patiently wait for your testing and market research results.

2. Terrible Customer Service

Ignoring good customer service is one of the fastest ways to damage your company's reputation. Customers who have a bad experience are much more likely to share that information than those who have a good experience. The average dissatisfied customer tells eight to 10 other people about the experience. Plus, in the age of social media, a single negative Facebook post has the potential to reach thousands.

3. Having an Employee Get Arrested or Leave On Bad Terms

If one of your employees is arrested, the news may not affect your company directly, but if their picture is in the news, your customers may notice and associate the crime with you. This is especially true if your company is located in a smaller town, where your employee is likely known by more of your customers.

When an employee leaves on bad terms, they may launch a campaign on social media and review sites to damage your company's reputation. It doesn't matter if you had a good reason to fire the person. People tend to believe what they read online.

4. Bad Social Media Etiquette

It's better not to have any social media presence than to create profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like and ignore comments and questions from readers. Being unresponsive to comments is considered bad social media etiquette and gives the impression that your SEO company doesn't care. If the comment is about a negative experience, the bad impression is magnified tenfold.

5. A Less-Than-Stellar Website.

A good website isn't a luxury. It's an essential part of doing business in the 21st century. If your website is rudimentary, hard to navigate, or nearly impossible to view on a mobile device, it sends the message that your company isn't tech-savvy, is outdated, and doesn't care about today's consumer. Those things may be false, but that's the impression your bad website is sending.

To learn more about how you can mitigate the effects of a reputation-damaging incident and start on the road to rebuilding your reputation management, contact Status Labs at (insert contact info). We've been helping companies make the most of their digital presence for more than 15 years.