There are currently lots of misconceptions about this concept and how to manage it. Online reputation isn’t just about how many social shares you have or what people might say about you in photos or blogs.
Online reputation is the whole set of elements that make up a person’s or brand’s standing online, such as trust and recognition, which are crucial in digital marketing. That’s why you should always keep it in mind if you want to build solid strategies that bring in more customers, however new or established your company is.
Why does your online reputation matter?
More than 50% of consumers say they won’t engage with a brand if they find negative comments about it, and almost 20% are wary if they can’t find any trace or reviews of the brand. That’s why you should make creating and improving your online reputation a priority, because it will strengthen the digital marketing strategy you set for your project.
Another very important reason to look after your online reputation is your brand’s SEO, because a good reputation usually ranks near the top, as Google has been giving more weight than ever to user experience in recent years. A negative image means a poor user experience, so your brand’s ranking will suffer.
Where is your online reputation reflected?
As we mentioned earlier, there are several ‘places’ where your online reputation shows. One is social media, a cornerstone of our digital society that creates a direct line of communication between businesses and users, giving both sides the chance to talk directly.
As well as social media, there are websites with their own domain and search engines such as Google that let users rate a brand or shop with a review.
Managing your online reputation: tips
If you want to keep your online reputation under control, you need to constantly monitor all the online interactions and opinions about your brand, resolve any issues that come up and listen to users’ suggestions. This is called online reputation management.
The process can seem overwhelming because of the sheer amount of information involved, but there are several strategies that help you manage it properly. Here are some tips:
A measurement strategy
The first step to managing your brand’s online reputation well is paying attention to negative comments and reviews of your product or brand. That’s why it’s important to set criteria for identifying and responding properly to the positive and negative reviews you receive.
Clarity with your audience
When a brand or digital project doesn’t express itself clearly, it can confuse its target audience and create a poor user experience. You should always look after the image and message you want to convey as a brand.
Don’t take negative comments personally
Customer service is never easy, even more so online, but you should never take negative reviews personally. These interactions are an opportunity to improve the quality of your brand and the service you offer.
Keep an approachable identity
Many brands make the mistake of projecting a hard-to-reach digital image by not being on social media, which creates a huge gap between them and consumers. Don’t waste the opportunity social media offers to humanise your brand identity and come across as approachable to your target audience. Smooth communication between both sides will go a long way towards a good online reputation.
Tools to monitor and improve your online reputation
Review Trackers
This tool collects reviews from more than 100 sites, such as Google, Booking and Facebook, so you can keep a complete record of the opinions and reviews shared online about your brand. Whenever a user leaves a review, the tool sends a notification so you can deal with it as quickly as possible. It also lets you track competitors and trending topics. There’s a free trial.
BirdEye
With more than 50,000 businesses registered on the platform, this tool lets you monitor metrics, pulling data together so you can analyse, respond to and highlight opinions and reviews from the tool’s own dashboard. BirdEye also lets you manage social media and create surveys.
Oraquo Analytics
This tool is an alternative that offers metrics monitoring and online reputation management in Spanish and up to eight different languages. Like Review Trackers, it has a free trial.
Ready to work with a digital marketing agency? Find out how Conecta Digital can improve your digital presence and help your business. Get in touch with us and we’ll advise you.
