10 Things You Need to Know About Online Reputation Management | Vicinus.ai

 Let’s face it! In today’s competitive business environment, very few things are as critical as your brand’s online reputation management. What your customers say about you across social media platforms, blogs, and digital public forums can make or break your revenue.

This means that, a positive online narrative is critical as it brings you more conversions and long-term customer relationships. 

So, how can you influence your online reputation, and more importantly, can you? 

Yes, with the help of these 10 pointers below.

1. Can I Get Assistance for Managing My Brand’s Online Reputation?

You can get assistance for managing your brand’s online reputation through reputation managers. Think of them as a culmination of PR gurus and tech experts.

They assist you with online image building. If your brand is already getting negative reviews, these remote professionals can help bury said search results and surface content that highlights your brand’s desired image.

Reputation management specialists also provide brands some control over what their prospects view online – be it insights on the information they want their customers to see and past information they don’t want to see.    

2. Can I Not Manage My Online Reputation Independently? 

Online brand management is not your core competence. Your core competence is your product, which requires maximum attention and timely innovation. If you start focussing and assigning resources for online reputation management, you might not be able to do as effectively a job as a specialist. 

An online reputation management company has dozens of experts who work on enhancing your digital profile. Setting up an in-house reputation management department, instead of outsourcing these services, will be costly and less effective.   

3. How Negative Are Negative Brand Reviews?

Believe it or not, a complete lack of negative reviews can prove to be detrimental to sales. After all, every brand has at some point been negatively reviewed. In fact, a recent study indicates 68% of customers trust brands that feature both positive and negative reviews. It just sounds more credible that way!

However, if there are too many negative reviews, you will lose leads and potential customers.

4. How Can I Proactively Safeguard My Online Reputation?

Building an online reputation takes time and a robust strategy. Also, since customers are talking about your brand across various mediums, you need an effective system for monitoring multiple channels. Here is where you can start:

5. Monitor What Customers Are Saying About Your Brand Online

Begin by paying attention to your social media accounts. You must update them regularly and share relevant content to garner an organic following.

Also, engage with leads and customers by responding to their queries on social media. Doing this shows that you are sensitive to their needs.

6. Stay Away from Online Arguments 

This is a no-brainer! Keep a safe distance from engaging in online arguments with your customers. It doesn’t matter who started the dispute – engaging in a heated dialogue online will always hamper your reputation.

Instead of reacting tersely to criticism on a public platform, reach out to the bereaved customer independently and resolve the dispute.  

7. Publicly Engage with Customers Who Left Negative Reviews

If you want to make genuine amends with unhappy customers, respond to each negative review on your social media handles, blog comments section, or any other public platform with your presence. Additionally, do not take very long to respond to negative reviews, as various issues may be time-sensitive.

When you publicly engage with customers who leave negative reviews, you also encourage dialogue around your brand’s quality customer experience.  

8. Seek Help of an Online Reputation Management Expert

A reputation management expert can give your brand an online makeover. All you need to do is invest money to save time.

However, several businesses make the mistake of reaching out to an expert to proactively manage their online image. Only when they face a problem that needs to be addressed urgently. 

9. Share User-Generated Content on Social Media

Think of this as digital word-of-mouth marketing. User-generated content includes customer photos attached to positive reviews or Tweets by influencers.

Actively search for such content and share it for higher visibility. Doing this is bound to increase your brand’s online reputation.   

10. Expand Your Online Presence 

Your customers are interacting with not just one digital platform. This means that, why should you be present on only a select few? Research different platforms your buyers interact with and make sure they find you there. This includes different review sites, open forums, blog sites, etc.     

The Final Word

Lastly, here is some good news for you that a damaged online reputation can be corrected. Build credibility for your brand by encouraging loyal customers to write reviews with photos on various media platforms. Set up your brand on as many platforms as possible, engage the services of a reputation management professional, and you’re all set.