What processes do you have in place manage your brand’s online reputation?
Overall, the goal of online reputation management is to ensure that the online image of a business accurately reflects who they are and what they do; and to protect against any negative or inaccurate information that may appear online.
ORM Stats to reflect on
- The first page of search engine results is the most important, with 90% of people worldwide basing their impression on this page alone. (Protofuse)
- Elevating your rating from 3 stars to 5 stars can lead to a 25% boost in clicks to your business. (Protofuse)
- Shoppers are more likely to make larger purchases from businesses with glowing reviews, with an average increase of 31%. (Qualtrics)
- Negative online reviews can be detrimental to a business, with a majority (80%) of people altering their perspective after reading them. (Invesp)
- 7 in 10 job seekers would reject an offer from a company with a damaged reputation. (Staffing Industry)
- 7 out of 10 shoppers will leave a review for a business when asked. (Search Engine Land)
- Only 15% of business owners and executives proactively do something about their company’s online reputation. (Recover Reputation)
Numbers don’t lie, and it’s clear that your online reputation directly affects your sales and revenue.
In this blog, we will discuss nine strategies you can implement this 2023 to keep your online reputation squeaky-clean, admirable, and a case study for good online reputation management.
9 ORM Strategies
Monitor your online presence regularly
Monitoring your online presence regularly is an important part of online reputation management. This includes checking your social media accounts, website, and other online platforms where people might be talking about your business or mentioning your name. By keeping track of what is being said about you online, you can quickly identify potential issues or concerns and take steps to address them.
There are several benefits to regularly monitoring your online presence:
Identify potential issues: You can identify any negative or misleading information that may be circulating about your business. This can allow you to address the issue and prevent it from damaging your reputation.
Stay up to date: It allows you to stay up to date on what is being said about your business, which can help you stay informed about your industry and changes or trends that may be occurring.
Engage with your audience: You can see what people are saying about your business and engage with them. This can help you build relationships with your customers and improve customer satisfaction.
Respond to customer feedback and reviews
Responding to customer feedback and reviews is a non-negotiable in online reputation management. Both positive and negative feedback can provide valuable insights into how your business is perceived online. Responding to feedback can help you build relationships with your customers and improve customer satisfaction.
Here are a few tips for responding to customer feedback and reviews:
Be timely: Respond to customer feedback and reviews promptly, as this shows that you value your customers and are willing to address any issues they may have.
Be professional: Use a professional tone when responding to customer feedback, even if the review is negative. This will help to maintain a positive reputation for your business.
Thank customers for positive reviews: Show appreciation for positive reviews by thanking the customer for their feedback. This can help to build relationships with your customers and encourage them to continue doing business with you.
Create and maintain a professional online presence
A professional online presence is essential for any business or individual looking to establish credibility and trust online. This includes having a well-designed and informative website and regularly posting relevant and engaging content on your social media accounts.
Here are three benefits of creating and maintaining a professional online presence:
Build credibility: A professional online presence can help to establish your business as credible and trustworthy. This can increase consumer confidence in your business and make people more likely to consider purchasing from you.
Attract customers: A professional online presence can help attract new customers by showcasing your products or services positively – which means more sales and leads.
Stay competitive: In today’s digital age, businesses need to have an online presence to stay competitive. Creating and maintaining a professional online presence ensures that your business stays relevant and visible to potential customers.
Be proactive in managing your online reputation
Proactively managing your online reputation involves taking a proactive approach to managing your online presence, rather than simply reacting to negative feedback or reviews as they arise. This can involve regularly engaging with your customers and followers online and keeping an eye on what the online community has to say about your brand.
The top three benefits of proactive ORM are:
Address negative reviews: By regularly engaging with your customers and addressing any issues or concerns, you can help resolve negative customer experiences if they surface. This will help maintain a positive reputation for your business.
Promote positive content: Proactively promoting positive content about your business, such as customer testimonials or product reviews, can help you shape the public’s perception of your business in a positive light.
Stay ahead of potential issues: A proactive approach to managing your online reputation will keep you ahead of potential issues and address them before they become a problem. This can help to protect your reputation and prevent negative feedback from damaging your business.
Work with a respected reputation management company
If you are struggling to manage your online reputation, you may want to consider using a reputation management solution. These companies specialize in helping businesses monitor their online presence, respond to feedback and reviews, and create a strong reputation that accurately reflects their business.
Here are four benefits of working with an ORM company to help you decide:
Expertise: Reputation management companies have a wealth of expertise and experience in helping businesses manage their online reputation. They can provide valuable insights and strategies to help you effectively manage your online presence.
Time and resources: Managing your online reputation can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Working with a reputation management company can free up time and resources for you to focus on running your business or pursuing other activities.
Comprehensive services: Reputation management companies can offer great software to help you effectively manage your entire online reputation process (from local to social media to across sites) and cover a lot of ground.
Monitor and manage your online reputation across multiple platforms
Monitoring and managing your online reputation across different platforms and websites is an important aspect of ORM. In addition to monitoring your website and social media accounts, it is also important to keep an eye on other platforms, such as review sites and forums, where people may be discussing your business. This will help you see where else you need to be– especially with reviews platforms that your shoppers are using, but you’re not yet present on.
Invest in search engine optimization (SEO)
Investing in search engine optimization (SEO) is an important aspect of online reputation management. SEO involves optimizing your website and online content for search engines to improve your visibility online and make it easier for people to find positive information about your business.
There are several benefits to investing in SEO:
Improve visibility: Optimizing your website and online content for search engines can improve your visibility online and make it easier for people to find your business. This can attract new customers and drive traffic to your website.
Promote positive content: Optimizing your website and online content for relevant keywords can help ensure that your business ranks higher in search results
Stay ahead of competitors: You can stay ahead of your competitors and make it more likely that your business will be found by potential customers.
Be transparent and honest
Being transparent and honest online is an ORM strategy that will surely pay off. This involves being open and transparent with your customers and followers and being honest about any mistakes or issues that may arise. It will help you gain your customers and followers’ trust, foster transparency and honesty in your business, and demonstrate accountability for your actions.
Take a consistent approach to managing your online reputation
Consistency is key in managing your online reputation, as it helps establish credibility and trust with your customers and followers.
Here are a few ways that you can take a consistent approach to managing your online reputation:
Respond to customer feedback consistently: By doing so, you can build trust and credibility with your customers. This means being consistent in how you respond to positive or negative feedback and using a consistent tone and voice when engaging with your audience.
Use a consistent tone and voice: Using a consistent tone and voice when engaging with your audience online is important for maintaining a professional and credible online presence. This means using the same brand tone and voice across all of your online platforms, such as your website, social media accounts, and review sites.
Post consistent, high-quality content: Posting consistent, high-quality content is important in managing your online reputation. Regularly posting engaging and relevant content can attract new customers and build relationships with your followers.
