Be present in the conversation

The internet has opened up a huge opportunity for people to discuss your business / product, to post reviews - both negative and positive, and to discuss in forums and chats everything they have experienced with your brand. What, you don't the negative reviews out there - then you need to get involved in the conversation.

There are so many more ways you can be involved in conversation before it even gets to be a negative review.

Join online communities, LinkedIn groups, Facebook conversations that are concerned with your industry or product. Contribute to the conversation. But be honest and transparent. Don't just market your brand, offer your expert advise, help solve problems and become a trusted online source.

Customer engagement has never been as important than now with online and social media playing such a large role in peoples buying decisions. Get involved in the conversation - after all, your really just doing what you would do with a customer face-to-face, offering advice and providing solutions.