Online reputation management
Online reputation management is taking control of the online conversation about your business. There are a variety of techniques to ensure that you have a positive and effective online presence. When it comes to your online reputation there are two different cycles to fall under; vicious and virtuous. Vicious online reputation cycle means that as a business owner you are ignoring your online presence which results in misinformation or a lack of content at all. Virtuous online reputation cycles consist of positive feedback, proactive content and reflects the business well.
How to maintain online presence in 3 simple steps
1) Social Content Distribution: Consistent Text, Video, Image, or Audio content distributed through major social media channels
- Be consistent active on social media
- Use a variety of content to see which your users engage most with
- Create the content style you’re most comfortable with (audio, video, written – (see bottom of article for consumer data)
- Customize your content to each channel’s needs IE don’t repost the same thing on all platforms
2) Website and native content (blog)
- Create industry specific content relevant to your customers or partners
- Focus on adding value to users
3) Get listed on business directories (ex: google business, yelp, etc )
- Ask customers to leave positive reviews
- Respond to all reviews (don’t ignore negative reviews)
KEY STRATEGIC POINTS TO EMPHASIZE FOR ALL CONTENT
- Consistent branding and visual aesthetic
- Be proactive
- Implement SEO and optimize content across all channels
- Offer Valuable Content for your customers/followers
- Demonstrate expertise and industry leadership
- Ask customers for reviews on key platforms
- Respond to all reviews (do not ignore negative reviews)
Next step: Paid media and online advertisements (ex: Google AdWords, Social Ads)
The importance of online presence in stats
There are approximately 4,208,571, 287 internet users
46% of small businesses did not have a web presence in 2018
2 out of 3 people believe the Internet is the most reliable source of information about a person or a business (Edelman Insights)
70% of hiring managers have rejected a candidate because of something they found online (Cross-Tab)
97% of people read online reviews when looking for a local business (BIA Kelsey)
Over 80% of reputation damage comes from a mismatch between what is being talked about and the reality (Digimind)
40% of consumers have received a response from a business after leaving a review
59% of customers that were asked to leave an online review in-person during the sale
60% have written reviews for positive experiences, while just 25% have written reviews for negative experiences
84% of consumers believe that reviews older than 3 months aren’t relevant
71% of consumers say they’re more likely to use a business that has responded to their existing reviews
64% of global respondents trust online search engines the most when conducting research on a business
Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts
84% of marketers believe that building trust will be the primary focus for marketing efforts in the future
41% of companies that experienced a negative review have reported loss of brand value and revenue
Consumers aged 18 to 29 use a brand’s social media site more for customer service interactions (43%) rather than for marketing (23%)