Online reputation management for small businesses
Your business’s reputation is synonymous with your business’s online reputation. Around 80% of initial interactions with businesses occur online. Therefore, your online presence and reputation are crucial. What others say about you also holds significance.
You cannot control what others say about your business. However, managing your online reputation can give you more influence on the overall story. It can also help protect your reputation during a PR crisis.
In this guide, we will discuss:
- Define reputation management
- What makes an effective reputation management strategy
- Why reputation management for businesses matters
- What you can do to best present your business online
What is reputation management
Reputation management is when a business uses strategies to improve how people see them online.
An effective online reputation management strategy aims to ensure that:
- your business is searchable in search engines
- the results for branded keywords, usually your business name, are representative of your brand and positive in nature
- Bad reviews, comments, or news about your business won't show up high in search results for your brand.
An ORM strategy involves creating a strong online presence for your business and having a plan to deal with negative coverage.
To simplify your business, make a website and use social media. Plan your content and look for media opportunities. Keep an eye on online conversations about your business. Prepare for negative news, reviews, or social media posts.
Is ORM the same as SEO
SEO (search engine optimization) and ORM intertwine, although each strategy can have different overarching goals. The goal of an SEO strategy is to improve the ranking of a website for commonly searched keywords. These keywords are the ones that potential customers are likely to use when looking for your business.
For example, a coffee brand's website would want to rank highly for the keyword "best coffee". SEO keywords are highly competitive as many companies vie for the same keywords, leading to intense competition.
The goal of an ORM strategy is to rank several properties for any branded keyword. These keywords are less competitive because they are specific. Instead of just one thing, you focus on many online assets to make positive and owned properties stand out.
Both SEO and ORM have to do with how you appear in search results and influencing these results when people search. ORM has a goal that is the inverse of SEO in many ways, but an ORM campaign can utilize many SEO strategies.
Why does the reputation of your business matter
Your online presence can greatly affect customer loyalty, attracting investors and funding, business growth, and overall success. According to a study conducted by Deloitte, brand reputation poses the greatest risk to a company.
This risk surpasses that of economic trends, business models, and competition. Negative information, such as bad reviews or rumors, can have a negative impact on product evaluations. This, in turn, can decrease the likelihood of purchasing and sales.
According to TrustPilot, having a strong online reputation is crucial for attracting customers to a business. It is even more important than product quality, cost, and customer service. 97% of people search online to learn about businesses, so your online appearance greatly affects how consumers see you.
But what constitutes a bad reputation? While it may be hard to define, bad reputations are one of those things that, when you see it, you know it. And so do consumers – 90% report not frequenting a business with a bad reputation.
One bad article online can cause businesses to lose up to 22% of potential customers.
It gets worse. Companies that have four or more negative articles in search results may experience a significant loss of potential customers. Additionally, their reputation may be severely damaged, not only among potential customers but also among others. 87% of people change their mind about buying something after reading bad news or reviews online.
It’s not all bad. A bad online reputation is hard to ignore, but a good one can be great for your business. Most people trust businesses with a good online reputation, and many stay loyal to businesses that have similar values. A good reputation can protect your business. Negative news has less impact on people who know your business well.
With so much at stake, and so much to gain, managing your business’s reputation should be at the center of your corporate strategy.
Online Reputation Management ORM for Businesses
When you start discussing online reputation, it sounds like a lot of bad news. Every business will receive negative feedback online at some point. Every business will receive negative feedback online at some point.
This feedback can come in different forms. It could be a bad review from an unhappy customer or employee. It could also be getting mentioned in a negative article.
Another possibility is making a mistake that becomes a bigger issue. Hits to your reputation aren’t about if, but when – and how you position your business and respond can make a huge difference.
This is why reputation management for businesses is so important. A strategy for managing your reputation lets your business have a voice and influence the story about your business. The goal is not to remove diverse opinions. Instead, it is to allow you to advertise your business in online discussions related to it.
A lot of strategies can help you build, manage, and protect your online reputation.
Get Familiar with Your Online Reputation
The first step in managing your business’s online reputation is to identify what that reputation is. Search for your business in an incognito browser with a cleared cache to get the most accurate results.
Take note of what you see. Does your business appear? If your business name doesn't show up in search results, you need to figure out why it's not ranking.
If the results are for your business, consider what you’re seeing. Where does your website rank? What about your social media profiles? Do other businesses rank?
Do you see a local pack? What third-party results rank for your business? Does any news coverage rank for your business? Is it positive, neutral, or negative?
An audit of your business's rankings will show you what profiles to create, topics to cover, and the current online narrative. Keep in mind that it's not only about the ranking, but also the position.
The first three results get more than 75% of clicks. With new updates, page two results may be more noticeable to users due to continuous scrolling.
Other tips to manage online reputation
Build a Strong Online Presence - Once you’ve gotten a sense of where you’re starting, you’ll need to begin to build a solid online presence. The most prominent owned assets are your website and your social media profiles. Even if you are a local business it is important as a business owner to remember, a strong presence online is vital.
And Maintain it - Creating an online presence is just the beginning. Online assets that are not up-to-date or inconsistently active can actually be a deterrent to users looking to engage with your business. Any profiles that you are not using regularly can be set to private until you have a posting schedule set up. Create a content calendar prior to posting blog content to ensure that you are updating regularly, and remember that quality is more important than quantity.
Use Content to Provide Value to Your Audience - A vital aspect of building a strong online presence is to identify your audience and what questions they have, so you can provide answers.
Leverage Reviews (Even the negative reviews) - Online reviews are one of the most important factors for your business’s online reputation. 87% of consumers report reading reviews to learn more about a business, and nearly 80% report trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family. Review sites and positive reviews have a big impact on brand image.
Stay Aware of Online Conversations - Reviews aren’t the only conversations about your business you’ll want to be up-to-date on. Any news regarding your business or industry is worth staying aware of. This can guide your content, your social media posts, and what not to say in the wake of sensitive events.
Know When You Need Professional Help - On occasion, reputation management for your business will need professional intervention. If you are unsure if an online reputation management firm is right for you, ask yourself:
- Does my business have the capacity or experience to develop and execute a reputation management strategy?
- Is my business experiencing negative press, or a reputation crisis?
If need be you can employ the services of a professional firm that specialises in reputation management.
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