The way your brand performs has a lot to do with the way your brand is perceived online.
• Are people talking well about your product/service online?
• Which aspects of your brand are liked well and which ones are criticized?
• What is your average star rating out of 5 on your Google Business Profile?
These are some of the questions that provide clues to your brand’s reputation online.
A single negative review or misinterpreted social media post can quickly escalate and affect how potential customers perceive your brand.
In a world where 93% of people base their buying decisions on reviews from other people, managing your brand’s online reputation has never been more critical to staying relevant to your customers.
This guide is here to help you understand how to manage, protect, and enhance your online presence to build lasting trust with your audience. Let’s start with the most pertinent question: What is online reputation management, and why does it matter for your brand?
• What Is Online Reputation Management (ORM) and Why Does It Matter?
• Monitoring Brand Mentions With Tools and Techniques
• Responding to Customer Reviews: 4 Best Practices
• Leveraging Content Marketing and SEO To Shape Your Brand Narrative
• Handling Crises and Recovering From Negative PR
What Is Online Reputation Management (ORM) and Why Does It Matter?
Online reputation management (ORM) is the practice of monitoring, influencing and improving the perception of your brand online. It includes reactive and proactive steps.
The reactive steps involve responding to online comments and deleting the ones found to be spammy or derogatory. The proactive steps involve setting up search engine optimization(SEO), social media, public relations (PR) or outreach campaigns to improve or control your reputation.
Social media, review sites and forums have extended many avenues for customers to share their experiences. If you are a brand that sells products on eCommerce sites like Amazon or eBay, these sites even nudge their buyers to leave reviews and share their first-hand experiences.
“Most consumers look at reviews and check a business’s online reputation before working with them or buying a product,” said Tim Clarke, Thrive Local’s Senior Reputation Manager, when asked why he thinks ORM is becoming more critical for businesses in the digital age.
Long story short: People indeed have the power to make or break a brand; what others say about your business can directly affect its success. If you are a budding brand, a strong reputation online can attract new customers and encourage loyalty within the existing group. On the contrary, a poor reputation may lead to lost revenue and long-term harm.
Having an ORM team gives you control over your brand’s image and ensures you stay ahead of potential issues. Brand reputation management measures help you build a positive story around your brand so that your customers trust your name and find your brand credible.
Monitoring Brand Mentions With Tools and Techniques
Managing brand reputation begins with monitoring what people are saying about your business. Monitoring brand mentions is the first step to ensuring you stay informed and can react swiftly to issues before they escalate.
But with virtually uncountable platforms where people can mention your brand without your knowledge, how do you stay informed about it?
Fortunately, tools available in the market have identified this problem long back and have provided simple software-based solutions. Beyond these tools, there are also manual techniques that you can apply in combination when managing online reputation:
• Google Alerts: Setting up Google Alerts helps you get notified whenever your brand name appears online. This way, you can catch mentions across blogs, news and forums.
• Social Listening Software: Social listening tools like Hootsuite, Brandwatch and Sprout Social allow you to monitor conversations on social media channels. They help you engage with your audience, whether they praise or complain about your brand.
• Review Platforms: Regularly check review sites like Yelp, Google Business Profile and Trustpilot. Monitoring reviews is crucial for understanding customer sentiment and identifying areas for improvement.
If you are working on your online reputation by yourself, it helps to have a dedicated team that is vigilant about these tools and can monitor them all. If you can do that, you’ll be in a better position to respond to comments and mentions, allowing a proactive approach to your online reputation management.
Responding to Customer Reviews: 4 Best Practices
Although the natural inclination is to focus on building a positive online reputation, a negative review every once in a while can actually be good for a brand. It can help you identify a business flaw, a manufacturing issue or a problem in a product/service. It can also push you to improve your online reputation marketing strategy — which again is good for your business growth!
Likewise, positive reviews can encourage other customers to make decisions in your favor.
In any case, both kinds of reviews have a major influence on your brand’s perception.
But the real dealbreaker is your response to these reviews. It demonstrates your brand’s values and commitment to customers.
Here are some best practices for handling customer feedback as part of your reputation management strategy:
1. Respond Quickly
Timely responses show that you value customers’ opinions. An ideal response time is between 24 to 48 hours.
2. Stay Professional
Always be polite and professional, even when handling negative reviews. Addressing concerns without being defensive helps build trust.
3. Acknowledge Positive Reviews
Don’t ignore positive reviews! Thanking customers for taking the time to leave a review shows that you appreciate their support.
4. Resolve Negative Issues Publicly
Address complaints publicly so that others can see your efforts to make things right. If possible, follow up privately to continue the resolution.
We asked Clarke for advice on handling highly emotional or hostile negative reviews.
“Be professional, polite and just state the facts. Don’t argue back and be rude or combative. Cool your emotions before answering and ask your team for edits and help before replying with anger and hostility,” he said.
And rightly so, responding effectively to customer reviews can help convert unhappy customers into advocates and boost overall brand loyalty, making your brand reputation management efforts much stronger.
Leveraging Content Marketing and SEO To Shape Your Brand Narrative
Content marketing and SEO play a vital role in controlling the narrative around your brand online. Creating positive content and optimizing content for search engines can help you present your brand in the best possible light.
Here’s how:
Create Engaging, Value-Driven Content
High-quality blog posts, articles and social media content can help enhance your brand image and establish your authority in your industry. By providing valuable information, you encourage positive engagement and drive away the focus from any negative mentions.
Optimize for Search Engines
SEO ensures that when potential customers search for your brand, they find content that highlights your expertise and positive attributes. Use relevant keywords, such as reputation management, online reputation marketing and what is online reputation management, to boost your content’s visibility.
Highlight Positive Stories
Promoting case studies, success stories and testimonials helps shape a positive image of your brand. If you have received notable recognition, ensure that you share this with your audience to build credibility.
So, what content has the most impact on building a brand’s credibility online?
“Third-party video testimonials that can be trusted are the most credible of all content. Google and other reviews are also quite powerful,” Clarke said.
Handling Crises and Recovering From Negative PR
When a negative review about your brand is blown out of proportion, you’ll find yourself amid a PR crisis. The reasons can be anything — an unethical business practice, an employee accident at the site or an unsatisfied customer venting their frustration.
PR crises are worth investing your time in because, when overlooked, they can taint your brand’s image in the minds of your customers. This can translate into lost deals.
Even if an audit finds your brand reputation healthy, it is still wise to prepare for a future crisis. According to a Hubspot survey, 69% of businesses experienced at least one crisis in the last five years, but only 45% had a crisis management plan. The underlying message is that no brand is immune to crises, but what really matters is the way you handle them.
Clarke said, “The first three steps a brand should take in the immediate aftermath of a PR crisis are have a crisis meeting and define tasks and roles, issue a public content strategy, don’t respond with hostility, but respond quickly and keep on the same message.”
Effective crisis management is key to managing online reputation during tough times. Here are some tips for handling negative PR:
Acknowledge the Situation
There is no point in ignoring the fact that a crisis has hit. The first step in crisis management is to acknowledge the problem and address it head-on.
Apologize Sincerely
If your brand is at fault, apologize sincerely. Customers appreciate honesty and a genuine apology goes a long way toward repairing relationships.
Communicate Clearly
Develop a clear communication plan that includes how your team will respond to inquiries and what messaging will be shared on social media and other channels.
Monitor the Outcome
After handling a crisis, continue monitoring what is being said about your brand. This helps you gauge the effectiveness of your response and make necessary adjustments to your reputation management strategy.
Learn and Improve
Every crisis provides an opportunity to learn. Identify what went wrong and what actions can be taken to prevent similar issues in the future.
An effective crisis management plan helps minimize the damage to your brand and ensures faster recovery, restoring customers’ trust and loyalty.
Managing Online Brand Reputation Requires Continuous Efforts
Effective reputation management is an ongoing process that requires proactive measures, attention to customer feedback and well-crafted content. By understanding what online reputation management is, utilizing the right tools and adopting a strategic approach to handling challenges, you can ensure your brand is portrayed positively in the eyes of your audience.
It is worth reiterating that your brand’s reputation is its most valuable asset. When you take control, stay vigilant and aim to provide an excellent experience to your customers — your brand starts to grow. When you do so, you’ll not only build trust and loyalty but also stand out as a leader in your industry.
Thrive Local provides trusted reputation management services, offering tailored solutions to address each client’s unique challenges. Our all-in-one online reputation management software provides an intuitive platform packed with powerful features and actionable insights. With decades of experience and a team of skilled specialists, our team delivers consistent, reliable results for local businesses.
Partner with us to take a strategic, results-driven approach to managing and enhancing your online reputation. Contact us today.
