“Move quick and break things” may be a philosophy that several entrepreneurs take. The thought is: don’t wait till it’s perfect; launch now and fix it later.
For many aspects of business, this is often a method that works. Glitches get fastened, tweaks are created, issues eventually get resolved. except for your business’s online reputation, the “fix it later” approach may end up in disaster.
Hersh Davis-Nitzberg, founder and CEO of a reputable crisis management firm, says that entrepreneurs must be proactive when managing their online reputation before the irreversible brand crises emerge.
Here are 4 steps we recommend you take to protect your company’s online reputation in 2019.
Understand How to Build an Online Reputation
Your online reputation is your digital footprint — each newspaper article, video interview, Facebook post, Yelp review, Instagram photo, or alternative data concerning you on the internet.
Whereas each bit of information influences your overall presence, those on the second or third page of Google know exactly what we mean. An analysis from Hubspot shows that 75% of users never scroll past the first page of Google, Yahoo, or Bing.
In order to suppress unwanted information, a reputation consultant will design a campaign to make positive content that’s in line with the subject’s ideas and what they offer.
This ensuing press and media are optimized to rank at the highest of Google search results. Otherwise known as search engine optimization or SEO. Consequently, undesirable content is pushed down off the first page and replaced by the fresh new content you had created or paid a media outlet to publish on your behalf.
Your Brand Mission and Goals Define Your Online Reputation
Often, entrepreneurs need to nurture a positive online reputation, however, they don’t recognize how to get started.
Powerful reputation building isn’t only removing and suppressing harmful content — it’s about establishing a positive on-line reputation that aligns with your authentic brand.
You can not specify your brand without knowing what you end goals are for your business. Take the time to visualize your ideal online reputation or how you would like your potential customers to feel about you.
What are you attempting to communicate?
Who is your target audience?
Once your intention is evident, you can begin to produce content that supports your voice and highlights your success.
Starting From Ground Zero > Restoring a Negative Reputation
It’s straightforward to ignore your online reputation when everything is running smoothly. However once a brand crisis strikes, suddenly the data concerning you on the internet will start to impact your working relationships with not only clients but business partners as well.
Being a business owner or entrepreneur it is imperative that you remain proactive instead of reactive when something negative appears online.
Be on top of your digital footprint before a crisis happens. If you have done little to nothing in the past to build upon your reputation, one negative review could be detrimental to your business.
But, if you have established an authentic, positive, and strong reputation online, a negative review can be a blip on the measuring system. If this happens to you or your business do not fret, take a step back and evaluate the potential damage negative customer reviews has to the overall success of your brand.
There might not be a quick fix, however with a solid reputation management plan, you’ll be able to repair your reputation in no time.
Utilize Proper Reputation Management Tools
As you develop a technique to repair, build or monitor your internet reputation, it is essential to know what tools can make your reputation management efforts easier.
Reputation companies usually specialize in publicity — they aim to get general media coverage for you or your business. Press releases will be a strong tool once done devised a plan for your reputation intention. However, without proper optimization efforts, the press you receive from PR might not even show up in search results.
Online reputation management (ORM) takes a distinct approach. ORM’s objective is to confirm that all existing online content is in line with your goals. When planning a campaign, reputation management companies usually work with PR firms to make positive content or use a press team in house.
Then, they use a range of ways to form positive impressions that systematically rank on the first page of each search results.
No matter what you decide on doing to manage your online reputation, remember: genuineness is essential. think about your name as a portfolio book of your superlative work.
Call us today and receive a free reputation analysis on how you can improve your brand’s online image today.