Online Reputation Management in Today’s Marketing Environment

Whether you like it or not, your business already has an online reputation. Do you know what it is?

Some hard facts about Online Reputation Management (ORM)

When people review your online presence, they don’t just find your website. They find customer review sites, blogs, discussion groups, social media comments and rankings. Does everything they see throw a positive light on your business?

Reality Check: The facts about online reputation

• Consumers, business partners, stock holders, marketers, journalists, prospective employers, co-workers, personal contacts and others care about your online reputation. So should you!
• People from all walks of life use search engines to research and gather information, so that they can make informed decisions. Negative information about your brand can ultimately lead to problems in many areas including sales, investor relations, recruitment, financials, image and reputation. In other words – damage to your brand reputation.
• The online world is inter-linked by search engines, social media networks and blogs. What is said by one can be heard by millions (a good word, or a negative one). Positive buzz carries more weight with consumers. A positive reputation brings trust, confidence and sales.
• Personal reputation matters. Here’s an example: A search for the International Monetary Federation (IMF) on May 15, 2011 showed among the top few search results, “IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn charged with attempted rape of a housekeeper at a Manhattan hotel”. Your personal reputation affects your brand too!
• Managing your online reputation isn’t promotion; it’s a means of defence. If you don’t control your brand online, someone else will. You can’t control perceptions….but you can certainly influence them. Here are some ways to put social media to work to improve your brand loyalty so customers will want to promote your company in a positive way.

Don’t wait until your online reputation has been tarnished. Get your business setup to manage it now, and you’ll be in a much better position later to deal with an issue, should one arise.