A few days ago, I came across a Facebook post by a leading PSV company- The Modern Coast warning their customers of a fake Google profile. The allegedly fake business profile has an average of 3.5 star rating from at least 700 people. Yes you read it right. Almost a thousand positive reviews on a fake profile defrauding innocent customers.
According to Yann Lechelle a marketing expert on Quora, only 1 in a thousand users are likely to review or rate a service on app. Now imagine the number people who have fallen victims of that Google profile. Basically what happens when a company grows a brand name while neglecting its online presence.
Online credibility
The damage control attempt by the company to disown the profile may not solve the problem. In fact it won’t make nay difference. Not all their clients are active on social media and the few who might be, there’s a possibility that they do not follow the page. Again, no dosage of SEO that can save the company from this matter. The fake Google profile will always show up at the top when someone searches the company name on Google.
It is almost impossible to convince a typical customer the profile is not controlled by the company. When a corporate ignores the aspect of online presence, it’s their clients who suffer most. How can you be having a fleet of PSVs yet you do not have social media page? or supply electronics in entire East Africa yet you do not have a domain? Tt’s Ignorance. Nothing less.
This is something they could have prevented long time ago if they followed these steps.
Steps to safeguard your brand’s online presence
- Register domain: It costs a few dollars. If you do not secure it, someone else will register and hoard it or go live with it to impersonate your business and defraud your unsuspecting clients.
- Create Google profile: Download Google My Business app from Google play and create a Google profile for your business.
- Create social media accounts: Create social media pages for your business and post regularly to interact with your clients frequently.
That way, you will have shielded your customer from 90% of all possible internet frauds that can be effected through impersonation.
