This is a guest post from our friends at Bluetuskr.

In sales, reputation is king. The more people hear about you, the more chances you have to gain and retain some customers. The more positive what they’re hearing is, the more likely they are to stay.

For those selling on Amazon, this means you’re going to want a positive Amazon seller reputation. It’s our hope today to offer some advice on how to boost Amazon’s reputation in a way that is easy to understand and actionable. While it isn’t everything an Amazon business needs to succeed, it’s somewhere you certainly can’t slack on.

The Basics of Your Amazon Seller Reputation

To begin with the basics, Amazon customers can leave feedback, comments, and more on products and sellers. If you are a third-party seller, they will be able to rate your business from one to five stars. Products can be rated on a similar scale.

The core of this system is pretty intuitive to understand. Sellers and products are rated to show customers what other people think about them. The lower your rating, the less attractive you and your products are, to new and returning customers.

Feedback also plays into this system. For example, if your products are quick to break, customers may start saying as much. While not (usually) as damaging as low ratings, sales can be hurt if a potential customer sees a comment mentioning an issue they care about (be it sending the wrong product, product breakage, or anything else).

While Amazon may not have the best reputation, we’ve discussed before how it most people’s go-to. For better or worse, it is a convenient option with very consumer-friendly delivery options. Your reputation on this mega-corporation site matters.

Related read: Leveraging Technology to Improve Your Reputation.

Your Online Reputation Matters

It’s been estimated as much as 94% of online customers seek out online reviews when making purchasing decisions. While not all potential customers are pouring over product details and weighing every option, most are going to at least check to make sure a seller and their products are going to be about what they want and expect.

If your feedback doesn’t tend to be 4 and 5-star ratings, something is wrong with your business model. Sub-4 stars, people start to become wary of a seller or product. Sub-3 stars and it means more people are unhappy with your products than satisfied.

This can create an unfortunate cycle. Profits go down, businesses struggle. It becomes harder to serve their customers well, and reputation is hurt even more.

You need to care about reputation before you have issues and address concerns as soon as possible. While not every customer complaint is valid, your products should at least work as advertised and last for a reasonable length of time.

Quickly repair feedback using our manager that features both automated feedback and a one-click email responder. Watch our short video below to learn more.

Improving Your Reputation

You may now be asking how to build an Amazon store reputation or otherwise get your ratings up. The good news is that much of building your Amazon seller reputation is pretty intuitive.

We also will discuss it in more depth later but you will want to consider hiring an E-commerce marketing agency. Improving weak customer relations and one’s reputation takes a set of skills that many entrepreneurs may not excel at. Even if you are capable, it also can take time that you may not have.

Whether you work to improve your Amazon seller reputation on your own or with an agency, there are a few common tricks we recommend trying.

Address Concerns Fast

It’s estimated 1 in 25 unhappy customers will complain to a company. The exact course this complaint takes may vary, but a low rating or negative comment is certainly a common approach.

Keep Information Accurate

What’s worse than a low-quality product? One that isn’t marketed as such. Customers understand cheap products don’t have as many bells and whistles but if you say a product has certain traits, it had better have them.

If any of your current listings are inaccurate or misleading, edit them. If any buyers felt blind-sided by any of a product’s traits or the lack of a particular feature, mention it. There are valid ways to market low-end products but misleading people is a good way to tank one’s reputation.

Don’t Rely On Amazon

It may sound like an odd tip to say you shouldn’t rely on Amazon to boost your Amazon seller reputation but it’s true! There are tools and tricks outside of the actual site that can boost your reputation on the site.

For example, read up on how to do automated emails right. Simple stuff like building a quality email list and being able to blast out deals and new products to potential customers who have already shown an interest in your company can do wonders. This can attract people with a good impression of your company to your site, thus helping you get some good reviews!

Ask for Reviews

Do you know as much as 70% of customers will leave a review if asked? If you have a line for your customers, use it to ask for reviews! 

Encouraging customers you suspect are happy with your products to review them can be a great way to boost your reputation. Remind people who love your products that they can help you out with a good review.

Make sure you’re staying compliant with Amazon’s TOS. Our pre-built email templates will ensure you’re compliant when sending emails for reviews.

Professional Help

Do you want to know how to build your Amazon seller reputation easily? Hire some help. Chances are that marketing companies like BlueTuskr have a host of skills you don’t (and that you lack the time to learn).

Some data already suggests entrepreneurs can have it tough. While the amount a business owner has to work varies a lot, entrepreneurs work an average of 63% longer than the average 9-5 worker. Hiring an agency will both save time and give you access to a set of skills many entrepreneurs don’t have.

Don’t Ignore Your Reputation

The short of all this is that your Amazon seller reputation matters. You want people to have positive things to say about you and your products. You all but need a 4 or 5-star rating.

If you want to start down the path of improving your reputation, contact BlueTuskr. You’ll get a response from a helpful representative who will talk with you about the specific needs of your company.