Your online reputation is the difference between thriving and failing. For individuals, small businesses, and global brands alike, how you appear online can greatly influence how much trust and authority people grant you. It’s the reason why Online Reputation Management (ORM) is not a fad, but an important part of your online profile.
The act of monitoring, addressing, or mitigating SERPs, or mentions in online media and web content. In this post, I will demonstrate how to take control of and improve your online reputation through actionable strategies and tips.
By the time you’re done, you’ll have a handle on monitoring mentions, responding to feedback, creating positive content, and managing crises like a boss.
Watching Over Your Internet Life
The first step toward improving your online reputation is getting to know what people have to say about you or your brand. By observing mentions, reviews, and comments, you can address any issues that may arise early and make the most of opportunities. Here’s what you can do to keep it at the forefront of your mind.
Use Online Monitoring Tools
To prevent wasting time and maximize relevance and accuracy, use solutions that can monitor mentions and reviews across networks. Popular platforms include:
- Google Alerts: Create alerts for your name, brand and/or keywords so you can be notified whenever you’re mentioned online.
- Brand24 or Mention: Track social media, blogs, and forums for live stories about your brand.
- Review Trackers or Trustpilot: Track reviews from various sites which include Yelp, Google Reviews, and others.
Audit Search Results on a Schedule
Be sure to Google yourself or your company from time to time and make sure your search results are showing the image you want others to have of you. Check the first few pages and tell me how obvious it is. Less-than-favorable content or old information may require some additional attention.
Track Social Media Mentions
ORM is very much present on Social Media. Monitor mentions, comments, and hashtags associated with your brand with tools such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or native analytics features.
Engaging in proactively listening allows you to identify trends and rarely-known perceptions about your business, enabling you to react in a timely manner when necessary.
Answering Reviews and Comments
The way you handle the good and the bad feedback tells me a lot about your values and professionalism. Responding mindfully can transform a customer into an advocate.
Address Positive Feedback
I think we all love to read wonderful reviews, but to me, when someone reaches out to other people, to remind others there’s a bigger world out there, and that, yes, it’s really nice to be reminded of what we’re doing and how other people perceive what we’re doing.
Show your appreciation for your supporters by being kind in response to all the compliments and reviews.
Customize your responses, let them know you appreciate their time and intelligence.
Example: “Thank you, Jane! We’re so happy you enjoyed our service and we hope to service you again in the near future.”
Treat Negative Feedback Carefully
Negative feedback can sting, but it’s a chance to demonstrate professionalism.
- Stay calm and empathetic. Try not to react in the heat of emotion or defensiveness.
- Start out showing a little empathy, such as: “We’re sorry to hear about what you went through.”
- Provide resolution to a question/issues or whatever topics that should be discussed publicly. If private conversation is preferable, take it offline.
Sample Reply to 1-Star Yelp Review:
“Hi [Customer Name], we are sorry for any frustration that this has caused. I’d really appreciate a second chance to make this right. Can you please connect us? [Your email or phone number].”
Proactively addressing the issue shows transparency and creates trust with your audience.
Creating a Positive Online Presence
Long response, but I can see you are intelligent and want to help yourself. Creating a positive online presence`} I am giving you the truth, even though it may not be what you want to hear hey!
Instead of only responding to comments or reviews, an ongoing ORM protocol consists of proactively creating and developing a favorable presence.
Produce Good, Shareable Content
Create content that is both appealing to your target audience and demonstrates your knowledge.
Examples include:
- Informative blog posts
- Video tutorials
- Social media notifications informing or entertaining
- Success stories in the form of case studies
Content marketing not only makes you look good but can also drive search engine results pages with a coherent, professional, and useful voice.
Demonstrate and Establish Authority with Thought Leadership
Write for established blogs or media sources in your industry to help establish your authority. LinkedIn, Medium, and Forbes Council are great for sharing thought leadership content.
Encourage Customer Reviews
Good reviews can pipe up your authority in no time. At the end of the exchange, ask happy customers to leave reviews, through Google or Yelp for example. Feed us easy with the direct links.
Work with Influencers and Partners
Collaborating with influencers or respected voices in your niche can help bolster credibility and bring in new audiences to your business. Seek collaborators that match the values and the picture of your brand.
By all means, concentrate your efforts on generating good content since it becomes goodwill in the bank which you can draw upon when it comes to bad exposure.
Crisis Management Strategies
Despite your best efforts at ORM, crises can occur. How effective you are in managing an online reputation crisis can mean the difference between squashing spreading damage and making it louder.
Keep Calm and Evaluate the Situation
Panic only worsens the issue. Stop, think about what the crisis is about and get all information. Look up the issue and affected platforms.
Answer Promptly and Honestly
Procrastination when it comes to handling a bad situation only makes things worse. Respond quickly and carefully, acknowledging the issue and your course of action. Don’t be defensive or point fingers.
Example Response in a Crisis:
“We know shit is fucked up with [insert situation]. We are treating this as a serious issue and are working to resolve as follows. We’ll share updates soon.”
Adopt the right tone as per the gravity of the crisis and keep the channels of communication open for questions.
Take Corrective Action
In the end, actions are always louder than words. If a service failure was at the root of the crisis, refund the service to loyal customers, provide free replacement, or personalize service. If there are ethical implications, be transparent and detail what plans are for future improvement.
Learn from the Crisis
And last of all, after the dust has settled, analyze why the mistake happened and take steps to see that it does not happen again. Make the most of the occasion to improve your image.
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SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT — Take Control of Your Reputation Online Today
Is my reputation one of the most valuable things I have in an increasingly digital-first world? From tracking mentions and responding to feedback, to producing high-quality content, ORM is vital for forging long-term trust and authority.
And remember, reputation management isn’t about erasing criticism — it’s about using that criticism to shape how you’re seen.
To begin, take an audit of your current online presence. Look at opportunities to lift some of the review limitations and reduce the editorial differences between all platforms.
To further discuss this or to learn more about what ORM can do for you, reach out to our team for a bespoke approach to ORM.
We want to help you take control of your online presence!
