What is reputation management?

Online reputation management

Internet users are actively seeking information on items and services they wish to buy as well as the companies that sell them. If your company is portrayed negatively online, they may choose one of your competitors, costing you potentially significant money.

Did you know that a company's reputation represents 25% of its market value? Your reputation is vital, regardless of your sector or the size of your business, and it plays a critical part in the long-term success of your organization. Because anybody may publish anything online, it's critical to monitor your internet reputation regularly. So, what should you do if your company suddenly sees an increase in unfavourable reviews, a social media disaster, or worse? On this page, we'll look at ways that your business can use to rebuild its online reputation.

What is reputation management?

Before we get into particular strategies for rebuilding your internet reputation, let's define the phrase "reputation management."

Reputation management is the process of enhancing your company's standing in search engine results, online reviews, and other high-traffic areas of the internet.

Users may read evaluations of your organization in search engines, social networking platforms, blogs, and other places; therefore, it's critical to maintain your reputation!

Why is your reputation important?

Online reputation management aims to change how consumers perceive you online so that your company may reach more customers and close more deals.

Why should you take care of your internet reputation?

Many business owners do not consider online reputation management until a public relations disaster, such as a bad news item or a social media rant by a former employee, occurs. This is a bad strategy. When done correctly, online reputation management should not only protect your reputation but also actively develop it over time. So, if you're on the fence regarding online reputation management, consider the following:

Establish a positive reputation.

Spreading the word about your company, developing positive relationships with customers and clients, and establishing your website as a valuable source of information may all help you establish a strong online presence.

And, given that today's consumers use Google to find almost every business they want to visit or buy from, you must ensure that the results for your name demonstrate that you are worth their time and money.

Aside from search results, you may improve your reputation by contacting news outlets, posting on social media, and generating brand exposure in several other places.

Users will build good connections with your organization when they view this content over time.

As consumers begin to express their thoughts about your organization with their friends and family, these connections might extend beyond your online presence.

When customers need the items or services your company provides, they will already know that you are a reliable source.

Stand out from the competitors.

Consumers today don't just go to the first business they hear about; they do their research, read reviews, and seek recommendations from friends and family.

Even if you believe your rating is four stars, if your competitors all have five, you will seem bad in comparison.

As a consequence, a successful reputation management approach includes monitoring not just online talks about your brand, but also those about your competitors.

We would never urge you to distribute negative publicity about other companies. Instead, seek to improve your company's image to raise the bar in your field.

Combating negative media

Along with your reputation, it is essential to assess your competitors' reputations, both online and offline.

And, with online reputation management, you can ensure that the results for your organisation outperform those of your competitors. Even the most honest corporation with the best people and products will have haters. So, as much as you might not want to think about it, some negative comments or evaluations about your company will almost certainly end up on the Internet.

If there isn't much information about your organization's existence online, these bad tales might fully control the search results for your company's name. Searchers will be able to notice that the present article isn't typical of your brand if you've previously taken measures to distribute positive information.

How your website influences your reputation

Your website, as the heart of your online presence, has a massive effect on how potential consumers and clients perceive your business.

When users visit your site, they have certain expectations that you must meet if not surpass.

Many aspects influence how Internet users view your website. However, the following are the most important to consider while working on your online reputation:

Your rank in organic search results.

Before they even get on your site, visitors want to know that it is trustworthy.

This may be proven by ranking high in organic search results.

When a person searches for your name and the first thing that comes up is fascinating, well-written articles and blog entries about your industry, they'll know you're worth their time. If this isn't the case for your company, it's time to reconsider your strategy for search engine optimization, often known as SEO.

As a result, SEO may assist you in improving your search engine rankings and, as a result, the number of visitors that click through to your site.

That means you'll have more chances to market your company online and maybe gain new clients.

Design and overall appearance.

The first thing a visitor will notice about your site is how it is designed and set up.

If it seems messy, unprofessional, or difficult to use, they will most likely return to the search results and try another business, potentially one of your competitors!

With that said, you don't have to go overboard and add every new function and design trend to the market.

Your major priority should be the next part, as long as your site is user-friendly and appears professional.

Content quality

The quality of your site's content will eventually have the most important influence on how users view it.

In-depth content that helps people comprehend a topic or solve an issue will make them perceive your firm positively and establish your brand as a reliable resource in their minds.

Weak, badly written information, on the other hand, will have the opposite effect.

If your website is full of generic, keyword-stuffed content, this is where you should begin your online reputation management strategy.

Usability and speed

Aside from the design and content, the usability of your site is critical in determining whether or not visitors have a great experience with it.

If it loads quickly and is simple to use, customers will concentrate on the content and learn more about your brand. However, if your website is unorganized, making it difficult for customers to locate what they're searching for, or just taking too long to load, consumers will link your brand with stress. This is never a favourable association, but luckily, it is simple to fix.

By checking your site's performance and usability regularly, you can guarantee that you always give potential clients a great experience. It is critical, however, that you incorporate mobile usability into this testing. Because a rising number of Internet users surf primarily on their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, responsive web design is a must.

Managing your social media reputation

Consumers now have a stronger voice than ever before thanks to social media.

This means you can engage with clients more simply, but it also means that unsatisfied customers have an open platform to spread their bad ideas about your brand.

With online reputation management, you can assist in guiding the discourse about your business on social media in a positive way while also managing negative opinions. Here it is somehow:

Create a social strategy.

If you haven't already, create pages and profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Other relevant networks (such as Pinterest and Instagram) can be used depending on your industry and brand, but these four are good places to start for any business.

Set aside some time favourable after you've created your accounts to develop a social media strategy.

Each platform requires a unique approach and content, and developing a distinct strategy for what works best for your business on each will take some time.

Finding the correct strategy may also necessitate some trial and error, especially if you work in a field that isn't extremely social media active.

If you're just getting started, there are several free internet tools with step-by-step directions for establishing a social media marketing plan.

When developing your strategy, keep in mind how often you publish, the type of content you share, and the tone in which you write.

Make sure everyone who administers your profiles is on the same page when it comes to tone, because followers may become confused if half of your postings are hilarious and conversational while the other half are serious and professional.

Keep an active presence

Once you've developed your social media strategy and determined who will be in charge of administering your accounts, you must make it a point to maintain an active presence on each one.

Users of social media want consistency, and many have learned to expect frequent updates from the companies they follow.

This is useful for your content strategy, but it also relates to your social media answers.

When users interact with your content, be sure to answer quickly.

Engage with every one of your fans, not just those that leave nasty comments.

This will not only boost your brand's reputation but will also inspire more of your followers to provide favourable reviews and comments. Then, if unpleasant comments do arise, they will be in the minority.

Keep track of the conversation.

In addition to reacting to comments on your site, you should be aware of the bigger conversation going on about your brand. You may not believe this is a problem because visitors to your social media sites will not see all of these remarks, but those users' followers will. Furthermore, owing to the search functions of most major platforms, other individuals may easily locate negative remarks.

Develop a strategy for dealing with negative comments.

The majority of your social media strategy must be geared towards helping you engage with your target audience.

However, given the nature of the Internet, someone will almost certainly make a critical comment or opinion.

And when that happens, it usually results in one of two outcomes: a total disaster or a chance to show excellent public relations abilities.

To begin with, resist the impulse to just delete the remark.

The user will most certainly call you out on it, giving the impression that you have nothing to hide. Instead, respond in a real and professional manner.

If the consumer was unhappy with their experience, apologise and inquire about what you can do to make things right.

If they are dissatisfied with how you operate your business, thank them for their input and ask what you could do better.

If they're simply being nasty or disrespectful, send them to your contact page and tell them you'd love to hear their complaints. Most commentators simply wait to be heard. And by demonstrating that you're paying attention, you can usually avert significant problems.

The components of your internet reputation

Every business is made up of two parts: the corporate, professional image, and the people who work to maintain it.

The professional reputation of your company

Branding is important in a company because it influences customer purchasing behaviour.

These are obvious distinctions when well understood.

For example, if a person wants to buy sportswear, he or she can choose between Adidas and Nike.

These are powerful brands with great reputations.

However, just as these brands have achieved success through favourable reputations, a negative reputation might block your company's growth.

So, what constitutes your company's professional internet reputation?

Reviews

Consumers today are accustomed to using sites such as Google to learn more about businesses before making purchases or decisions.

While one negative review may not sway a buyer who is interested in what you have to offer, a flood of negative reviews might have a significant impact.

It's human nature to focus on the negative rather than the positive.

Articles in the news

How is your firm portrayed in the media overall?

Are there any articles that cast an unfavourable light on your products or services?

Even if this happened several years ago, it might still be visible when your company's name is entered into any of the main search engines like Google, Bing, or YouTube.

Even if what the media source claimed was incorrect or no longer relevant, your company's name will be damaged.

Employee feedback and opinions

In some situations, disgruntled ex-employees go so far as to publicly wreck their former companies.

If you find yourself in this scenario with a former employee, your reputation would almost surely suffer—even if their charges were eventually incorrect.

Social Media Posts

Even if your firm does not have an official social media presence, it may have a significant influence on your online reputation. Terrible social media posts may and can spread like wildfire in some situations, and while Facebook and Twitter won't necessarily affect your chances of ranking high, if a potential customer sees something negative from a family member or friend, they're unlikely to want to deal with you.

With all of these potential reputation-derailment scenarios, it's clear that businesses must make an effort to stay up to date with their internet management. No company, large or small, can afford to dismiss or ignore negativity on the internet. However, an internet reputation isn't just about the company—it's also about the people who work for it.

Your reputation

In the end, your company is more than just a bright logo and the things it offers.

This means that, regardless of how good your products are, the activities of your employees have an impact on your company's overall image.

Every one of your workers could influence how the public sees your business.

Assume you have someone whose internet reputation has been harmed by any of the following:

Negative feedback

Customers who are enraged may turn to the Internet to attack one of your employees. Not only is your company's name pushed through the mud, but so is your employee's.

These are serious consequences, not only for the individual but also for your company. Although background checks are frequently used during the employment process, they seldom involve a review of an individual's internet reputation. As a result, issues like these might go unnoticed until they start to harm your business.

What is the best way to manage your internet reputation?

Fortunately, a negative internet review isn't the end of the world for a business that is ready to manage its online image properly.

The first step, of course, is to be aware of what is being said about your business as well as any people who contact the public daily under their names and on behalf of your organization.

From there, you could begin to carefully craft a plan to repair your internet reputation today, so you are not caught off guard in the future.

Please contact us for more information on how your organisation could take an active approach to maintain a great internet reputation.

One of our Internet marketing strategists would be pleased to speak about your online reputation, as well as any other areas of your online presence.