In this day and age, a company’s online reputation is everything. A company with positive online reviews and a clean Google profile is one that is set to thrive; a company with a negative public perception, perpetuated by unfavorable online search results, might experience declines in customers and in sales. If you have any doubt about the important role that online reputation plays, simply consider the huge volumes of money that Fortune 500 brands put into their own online reputation management endeavors.

Small business owners are not so lucky. Often, they lack the time and the resources necessary to launch full-on reputation defense campaigns. According to Reputation Changer, however, there are three basic steps any business owner can take toward robust reputation defense.

This continuing series on revenue process optimization includes brand perceptions. We live in an age where information about your brand is readily available online. The traditional form of paid advertising and expensive publishing has been replaced by guerrilla marketing and social platforms. Content isn’t delivered based on the highest bidder, it is delivered by social networks. Driven by individuals who find your messaging and brand to be worthy of a post, share, or like.

Brand Perceptions also must be managed proactively online. It is important that customer service teams reach out and address issues related to products, or services associated with their brand. This accomplishes three things: it solves the customer problem, causes brand loyalty and stops any negative messaging from going viral.