Manage your brand's online reputation by responding to both positive and negative reviews, but never delete bad reviews or reward good ones as the former action can look like there's something to hide and the latter violates the rules of most sites, writes Anvil Media's Kent Lewis. If a consumer shares a bad experience, acknowledge the problem, apologize and ask for their feedback on how to fix the issue, he recommends.

Online reviews are a primary source for consumers in their decision-making process, which is why marketers must create a solid framework to successfully manage their brand's reputation, writes Anvil Media's Kent Lewis. He advises how to create a robust digital foundation, covering SEO, social, pay-per-click ads, influencer marketing and public relations, before explaining how to create a strategy to manage online reviews and encourage positive recommendations.

Marketers should employ ratios that give data context and make trends easier to see over time, Anvil Media's Kent Lewis writes. Use competitive benchmarking to motivate, find actionable insights within data, and never become complacent because of good headline data, he advises.

Industry experts share their thoughts on the most common online marketing mistakes. Dragonfly Digital Marketing's Geoff Hoesch says not setting clear campaign goals from the start creates problems down the line, and Anvil's Kent Lewis warns against outsourcing social media management.

Creating marketing content can be a challenge for small-business owners, but there are a number of tactics that will make the process easier, Kent Lewis, president of Anvil Media, said. Hold interviews with customers and experts to generate content, and use low-cost tools to create videos. Get your employees involved in social media marketing rather than trying to manage it all by yourself, he advises.