What Are Some Ways to Manage Your Online Reputation
Looking for the best ways to implement when managing your business’ online reputation? Nowadays consumers turn to the internet to answer all of their problems. Managing your reputation on the internet includes combatting negative reviews, monitoring social media accounts and improving both your business and personal brand to something more relatable.
Consumers are 90% more likely to select you over a competitor if you show more positive reviews. Social proof is a large portion of today’s buying behavior and having a controlled way to manage your online reputation efficiently is the key to beating your competition.
Your online presence is your best advertisement, make it count.
Why It Is Important to Manage Your Online Reputation?
With the growing quality of social media, third-party review websites, blogs, and different digital platforms, maintaining a solid online reputation is important for every business.
In 2019, businesses understand the importance of remaining alert of what’s being aforesaid concerning their whole online. Firms are allocating resources to online reputation management (ORM), the method of maintaining a positive reputation. One of the most popular tools used is Google Alerts, as we will explain later on in this article.
Your online reputation is often both a blessing and a curse. It’s necessary that, where attainable, your business’ online reputation is nothing but clean and showcases positive results where ever they are found.
Search engines show us everything. There’s are of course some obscurity issues to cover and you’ll be able to bet that potential and existing customers can Google you to confirm they’re addressing a respectable and reputable company.
In fact, studies show 90% of consumers browse online reviews before visiting a business. What your reviews say concerning you online are often crucial to your success. The more positive reviews, the more sales.
Our team works around the clock to not only remove search results online but to also publish and promote you in a positive light. Curate positive reviews, press releases, custom websites and much more.
- More than half (54%) of digital marketers rate ORM as “very necessary” to their company’s overall success.
- Businesses observe their online reputation regularly: 42% monitor their online reputation every single day.
- Social media is used most often by businesses (46%) to control what’s being said about their brand online.
- Using in-house representatives to handle their online reputation is what many companies prefer as a method of applying their current resources to ORM (70%).
- The greatest achievement companies encounter from utilizing ORM is a growth in sales (25%).
- Nearly 35% of businesses intend to allot more time, training and money to ORM in 2019.
How Do I Clean up My Photos Online?
Conduct a search for your business on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and different search engines. Place your name in quotation marks to limit results to those that actually match. Make sure you also search for different variations of your business. Additionally, do a Google Images search on your name. What does Google show users? Is it all positive?
Check all the sites where you have created a business listing or profile, as well as uncover listing sites you are not on yet. These options would include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, YouTube, Google Plus and many more.
Create a spreadsheet and include all the links for photos or new articles that you would like to remove.
Deleting Unwanted Photos
For started, most of the content about your brand online was most likely posted by you. On your own social networking pages, you’ll be able to simply delete your own posts, photos, and videos.
If your information is posted on sites out of your control try contacting the webmaster by using tools like ICANN’s WHOIS or creating an account on Domain Tools. These sites will prompt you with the website owner’s contact information (if the website is not private).
If your family or friends have mentioned you in a post that is considered unprofessional you can ask them to remove your name or you can simply select to untag yourself from the image(s).
If they won’t delete a photograph, you’ll be able to sometimes untag yourself. This will eliminate any chances of that image appearing within the Google Image results tab.
If there are news articles, weblog posts or alternative mentions regarding your less-than-stellar fashion, you’ll be able to contact the publisher to get rid of them. If the website owner declined your request you can simply upload dozens and dozens of photos from your photo to help “flood out” unwanted images within the search results.
Quietly unfriend those that would possibly post uncomplimentary things regarding you.
Keep an eye fixed on any email jokes or alternative things people send to you or share with you online. However, debate whether this will negatively impact your online reputation before you share them with others. You don’t need to share something that puts you in an exceedingly less-than-positive light. It is best to ignore these emails, it is not worth the risk.
What Steps Can I Take to Protect My Digital Reputation?
(1) Controlling Your Online Reputation:
You must have accounts on all relevant social media sites.
If you’re B2C, we suggest Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ at a minimum.
For B2B, you must additionally embrace LinkedIn, and if you’re in an exceedingly inventive business, Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr, and YouTube are applicable places for you to create business accounts.
Facebook profiles tend to see the largest amount of engagement when compared to other social media platforms
(2) Managing Company Accounts:
Merely having social media accounts isn’t enough. You must actively manage them and develop your audience. You can do this by engaging with your followers, posting 3-5 times daily and promoting the content that shows greater impressions or results.
This way works to construct a robust online reputation so your accounts will counter any negative client reviews.
(3) Manage Accounts For Individuals:
If your company’s identity is powerfully related to your founders, owners, or key executives, the corporate ought to produce and manage online accounts in their names as well.
LinkedIn is an excellent tool for this. Promote one on one interviews with top-level management and post them on your company’s LinkedIn. This will not only gain your trust but it shows how transparent your company is and consumers love that in 2019.
(4) Have a Website Blog:
A blog is excellent for SEO and works to get as many eyes on your content as possible. This method provides a way to add more relevant content for your potential consumers on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Your website blog may offer a forum to directly reply to any major public statements created concerning your company if necessary.
One easy way to track your online reputation is to trace your brand on Google Alerts. This way, you will receive email notifications every time your company or name is mentioned anywhere online.
(5) Listen:
Before getting defensive about negative online reviews, take the time to examine and think about consumer criticism.
Are there weaknesses in your service or processes that should be discussed?
Consider client complaints as a chance to boost your business moving forward. Listening can be the most powerful reputation management strategy in itself, consumers love to voice their opinion and as long as it is positive let them rant to you. You can use these insights for your marketing efforts down the road.
(6) Apologize:
If you or somebody at your company has created an error, own up to that and create a real apology. An authentic apology can help diffuse matters and if done correctly should earn you a loyal client.
Showing sympathy and being apologetic is crucial when responding to disgruntled clients on a public profile. Remember other potential consumers will see your rebuttal so it is imperative that you remain professional whenever you address negative reviews.
(7) Do Not Argue:
Whether or not you think you are right, arguing with a client is going to come off as defensive, petty, and unprofessional to say that least.
If matters are volatile, take the communication with the client offline instead of having a public argument. Try incentivizing them with a gift card, free merchandise or an extended trial offer to ease their minds.
Wrapping up Ways to Manage Your Online Reputation
At the end of the day, online reputation management strategies are here to eliminate stress from your workload while promoting your company in a positive light at the same time.
By utilizing the steps above you will be one step closer to protecting yourself not just efficiently but effectively against any brand crises that may arise. Brand building should be one of your biggest priorities, especially for SMBs.
Monitor your name, respond to all reviews, and publish & promote new content, these are the best ways to focus on while working to improve your online presence.
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