Online reputation management: what is it? What does it involve? And why do many say it’s not enough just to look at Google results on yourself to get the big picture about how you and your company appear online?
Perhaps reputation management is something you’ve heard of. No, it’s not just about protecting your reputation via reviews on popular websites like Glassdoor or Angie’s List (although that is part of it — but we’ll get to that). Reputation management is about having a handle on how you’re viewed by either your customers, if you are a business, or by your friends, family, co-workers and potential employers, if you are an individual. In turn, online reputation management, oftentimes using reputation management software as a tool, is about monitoring and controlling your reputation in the digital sphere.
Over the past decade, reputation management has become incredibly important in any competitive space. After all, there is no marketplace like the internet. Sometimes it seems like anything is available to anyone at any time via the web, and to stand out, you have to make sure you and your company don’t just have a positive image online, but a memorable, unique one as well.
That’s where reputation management comes in. Using reputation monitoring tools, companies that specialize in this area of brand management know how to build positive reputations, repair negative ones, and how to make the elusive first page of your Google search results as positive as possible.
The market for reputation management is growing and it makes sense if you do some research. When 84% of marketers believe that building “trust” will be the main focus for marketing efforts in the future, fostering that trust online is extremely important. And when trust in your company is shaken — by a bad review, a Twitter faux pas, or a company shake-up — it needs to be rebuilt.
Did you know that 41% of companies that experienced a “negative reputation event” later reported loss of revenue and brand value? That number is just too high to take the risk of not making sure your reputation is well-protected online.
But there are so many choices when it comes to online reputation companies. It’s important to do your research and determine which one has the right reputation management services for you, with the right strategy for you and your business.
The right reputation management professional knows how to help if someone writes a bad review about your company that you know isn’t justified. They know how to help make you and your company look like the best choice in a crowded, competitive field. And yes, reputation management companies can help you bump higher in search engine and social media results.
Your brand is everything. Isn’t it a good idea to make sure it’s protected and promoted in the best possible way?
