Digital Marketing Posted On: Jun 27, 2021
As a business owner, no one likes to lose a gold star from their ratings or receive a bad review. You always want your business to have a stellar reputation.
So have you considered online reputation management?
ORM makes sure that your business always puts its best foot forward and constantly tends to customer grievances.
With well-managed ORM, your customers will always feel cared for and develop a trusted relationship with your brand.
Here is all that you need to know about ‘Online Reputation Management’.
Online Reputation Management is when you address negative feedback or false feedback online. This might be related to your Website, Social Media, or any other platform where your brand is visible.
ORM isn’t just about responding to social media comments and stories.
It’s much more than you think. It has everything to do with protecting your brand against negative feedback and issues.
It is a fact that most people not only shop online but also check out a brand’s worth online. A customer’s choice is influenced by the online reputation of a brand.
Did you know?
Your online reputation is not in your hands. In reality, your reputation is dictated by strangers. If you have no idea about your ORM, you would not even know how and why your brand is lagging behind.
What is scarier is the fact that something as little as one bad review is forever. These small things might amount to something serious if not addressed.
For example,
Moreover, there are other reasons for you to consider.
Search Algorithms focus on online reputation management. It is impossible to verify the authenticity of your provided information. For this reason, popularity becomes a key factor for search engines
ORM brings balance. It ensures that material that actually matters is not overwhelmed by frivolous rumors.
Judging by these examples, you should take active steps to do something about your ORM, now!
From a broad perspective, ORM and PR focus on portraying a brand or a business in the best way possible.
There are differences based on what they do,
A PR firm focuses on strengthening the brand rather than guarding it against attacks. Also, PR firms work through external sources like advertising.
ORM is different in the sense that it focuses on responding to potentially damaging content by people or other companies. ORM helps create a transparent reputation. It focuses on combating negative feedback by addressing it directly.
The basic differences between ORM and SEO are:
| SEO | ORM |
| The primary focus of SEO is to get your website to rank on popular SERPs. | The primary focus of ORM is to fill your top search page with positive feedback |
| SEO moves your website higher in searches | ORM displaces misleading web pages in search |
| Going viral is what you would want to do | You would never want your bad reputation to go viral |
| The idea is to rank for as many search terms as possible. | The main idea is to rank for specific terms and that is it. |
Initially, ORM can seem to be intimidating. The number of places where your brand might be mentioned may be too many to keep track of. Following these strategies might make things a little easy.
Deal with the problem at the source. Before the negative comments come in, most consumers tend to try and get in touch with the brand through DMs.
Checking and answering your DMs is essential and must be done daily. Yes, it might seem like a lot but it has to be done.
According to a Clutch survey, 83% of consumers expect a reply from businesses within a day or two. So, it is not a very wise idea to make them wait for a late reply.
Equally important to tackle the situation with a show of empathy.
A consumer might be showcasing any problem that they are undergoing. No matter how ridiculous or trivial the problem might be, it is important to show the consumer that you realize their trouble and will help them any way you can.
The bottom line is that if a personal message is not tended to, it might manifest itself into a scathing public comment. Also dealing with your consumers with empathy shows your customers that you care and builds a positive online image.
No matter how difficult it might be, you have to respond to negative reviews and comments. Always address the issue with patience and make a sincere effort to resolve the problem. Remember, 97% of people read reviews before buying anything. Lack of responses on your part can amount to bad press.
It is always a good idea to apologize if your brand faces scrutiny of real or perceived scandal.
The apology should be sincere and genuine. It is important to keep people updated on how the matter is going to be resolved. Also, apologize at the right place. If you are receiving the bulk of your negative feedback on social media, that is where you need to make your apology.
Showing remorse always diffuses tension and strengthens relationships with consumers.
Be smart and use tools and software to keep track of your online reputation. One of the simplest tools available is Google Alerts. Among other tools, you can use Brand24 and SEMrush.
We understand that constant monitoring can get tiresome and pull you away from your primary responsibilities. That is why we are the perfect company for the job.
Our stellar team will minimize negative press and content associated with your brand. We will also thoroughly monitor your online reputation to make sure you are not lagging behind in any way.
So what are you waiting for? Hire Atop Digital today to stay on top.
