The Importance of Your Online Brand Reputation
Your web personality is the first impression that potential customers have of your business. And 84% of your customers trust online reviews just as much as they trust personal recommendations, according to a BrightLocal survey.
If you’re a startup or a business that’s been around for years, managing your reputation proactively can make the difference and help you:
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Garner positive publicity to gain new clients.
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Gain trust and loyalty by promptly dealing with concerns.
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Remain distinctive in the same industry of tough competition.
Now that you know the reasons why good reputation management is important, let’s look at how you can do it.
Tracking What’s Being Said About You Online
Use Monitoring Tools
The manual search for brand mentions is not efficient at all. Instead, use tools to follow your online presence effectively. Here are some suggestions:
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Google Alerts: Receive email alerts for your brand that help you when tracking new mentions on websites and blogs.
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Hootsuite or Sprout Social: These are both tools that track when brand mentions occur on social media sites.
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ReviewTrackers or Yext: They track online reviews from sites such as Yelp, Google Reviews, and TripAdvisor.
Centralized Dashboard – Build a Dashboard in One Place
Combine monitoring tool data in a single space. It provides a way to see trends, find common problems, and track your reputation through time.
Pay Attention to Competitors
By keeping track of what your competitors are saying, you can easily study their strengths and weaknesses. You can obtain a benefit when positioning your brand strategy by knowing how your competitors are perceived.
Handling Feedback Like a Pro
Both kinds of feedback are worthy of your attention, somehow, and however you play it, can make or break your reputation. Prompt, professional, and friendly responsiveness is a great way to show your brand’s dedication to good customer service.
Lend Someone Some Feedback, So To Speak
Once customers let others know they’re satisfied, responding is not just a nice thing to do — it’s an opportunity to build relationships and put a human face on your brand. Here’s how:
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Thank you, and appreciate it.
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Tailor your messages by alluding to something you know about them in their feedback.
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Drive further action (share their experience on social media or test other products).
Example
You’re the best, Amanda. Thank you
Example #4: Email
Subject: Thank You for Continuous Support and Generosity
Dear Dr./Mr._RCC -_CDP,_CDP
I do not even know where to start with thanking you for your continuous support and generosity.
“So, to whom it may concern, @SarahKSilverman is one of the nicest people I know. Damn it.”
We’re glad to know that you enjoyed our new seasonal latte. We will have even more exciting choices coming shortly, so keep an eye out for that!”
Deal with Criticisms like a Lady or like a Gentleman
The last thing you want is for negative feedback to remain uncontested, and this can give the impression that your brand is unprofessional or not very proactive. Instead:
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If the customer had a bad experience, apologize genuinely.
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Don’t be defensive and just work on the problem at hand.
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If necessary, take the convo offline to go over the details and work something out.
Bad Review Reply Example
“John, Wow! We are so sorry about all this. This is not the service we aim to provide. Please e-mail us at support@brandname.com, and we will make it right for you.”
Sometimes, a well-managed negative can be met with a positive and good news story about your dedication to good customer service.
Creating A Powerful Online Presence
Online reputation management is not just about reacting to feedback but proactively creating a strong online presence. Because you want people to notice you for all the RIGHT reasons.
Create High-Quality Content
Submit value-based blogs, videos, infographics, or social media content that relates to your brand knowledge base. This establishes your company as a leader in the field and builds trust with your customers.
Invest Time in Social Media Activity
Why Social Media Marketing Is Crucial For Branding? Here is How!
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Post regularly and respond to followers, whether in comments or direct messages.
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Use humor, up-to-date trends, or questions to engage with people.
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Feature UGC to establish community trust.
Build Relationships with Key Influencers
Partner with influencers who have similar values to your brand and take their reach to the next level. Their support can add authority to your word and extend your content to new markets that were not available to you before.
Encourage Customer Advocacy
Happy customers are your best brand ambassadors. You can encourage them to write reviews, provide testimonials, or promote their favorable experiences among their audience as well.
How to Protect Your Reputation on the Internet
Reputation management isn’t a “one and done” type of activity, but rather something that requires continuous nurturing and careful maintenance.
Go for Periodic Reputation Audits
Check KPIs like the quantity of good reviews, sentiment analysis, and rising trends for mentions regularly. That way, you can catch any problems and address them early.
Revise Your Plan After Feedback
Take time to listen to customer criticism and consider how it impacts other areas of your business. Leverage feedback as actionable information for optimizing and driving your services or products towards greater success.
Stay Current with Trends
The internet is ever-changing. Everything from new social platforms, to updates in algorithms or trends in popular culture is best to be aware of to evolve with the market and keep a strong run in it.
Proactive Management is Both the Effort and the Reward
Online brand reputation management is not only about damage control; it is also about positioning your business for long-term success. Firms that keep customers’ interests front and center will also inspire their customers to become loyal evangelists and rise above their competitors to become trusted incumbents.
It may seem like a lot to manage, but incremental and calculated steps pay off. Arm yourself with the right tools. Pick tools that work for you, keep track of your updates periodically, respond appropriately, and establish meaningful connections with your community.
Need a head start? Give some of the monitoring solutions above a try today, or find a digital marketing company that can help you develop a reputation management strategy over time. The time to improve and amplify your online image is NOW!
