What Is Online Reputation Management and Why Does It Matter?

online reputation management

Are you treating your presence online as if it is your brand? You should be!

Because your online presence is your brand. It is what potential customers will see first, setting the tone for how they will perceive your business.

Let’s face it: businesses today are under a microscope. And with the increased usage of social media, every business is now being rated by users on review websites like Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor. Because of this, creating a great brand image is essential to growing any business.

This is why online reputation management should be an important part of your business moving forward. Whether you operate a brick-and-mortar company, run an e-commerce store, or write for a blog, the importance of having a positive online presence is vital. It’s not only about having customers who can see your products.

It’s also about how potential clients perceive your brand and whether they trust you enough to place an order with you. Read on and learn why ORM should be at the forefront of your marketing strategy.

What Is Online Reputation Management?

Online reputation management, or ORM, is the process of taking control of the online reputation of your brand or business. Online reputation management is a way to control how customers perceive your online presence.

The phrase “online reputation management” refers to a variety of marketing tactics you might use to enhance and preserve the online persona you want to project. ORM offers methods for building a good reputation online. This is regardless of whether you run a business or wish to preserve your social standing.

It is a method of influencing what turns up whenever anyone searches for your name or your company online. If you own a business, ORM methods include keeping an eye on customer reviews, responding to them, and managing content on social media, keeping in line with your brand.

You can use the ORM strategy to help with several things. Here are a few:

  • Manage your online profiles
  • Track and get rid of digital risks
  • Take control of your reputation online
  • Get rid of fraudulent reviews
  • Stop information that violates your intellectual property

Beyond that, ORM may assist you in locating misleading or incorrect content and removing it to protect your reputation. Online reputation management is a method of ensuring that people only find the information you want them to when they search for you online.

Why Is Reputation Management Important?

With the advent of social media, businesses can reach out to their customers and potential customers in a way that was never possible before. With the help of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, businesses are now able to create a virtual storefront for their products and services.

You can advertise to millions of potential customers all around the world. You can also gain feedback about your company’s offerings, products, and services. Social media platforms have become a key marketing channel for many brands.

Consumers expect a lot from brands they trust. Particularly when it comes to how they are treated online. The way a business conducts its social media presence impacts its online reputation.

Benefits of Online Reputation Management

There are plenty of advantages of reputation management. One of them is that it can boost your search engine optimization by a huge margin and bring you a lot of new customers. With the right strategies, you can even create an entirely new online reputation for your brand.

A range of technologies and strategies are used in online reputation management to enhance and safeguard a company’s online profile. ORM allows people and organizations to manage what shows in search results and project a brand-centric, favorable online reputation. Reputation management online operates by:

  • Increasing exposure to content that is favorable and reflects the reputation you wish to project
  • Finding, removing, or censoring content that could damage your online reputation

This ensures your company is kept in a positive light.

How to Build a Good Online Reputation

One of the best ways to build a good online reputation is to conduct a good online reputation audit. You can do this by partnering with a reputable reputation management company that specializes in ORM. An audit will tell you a lot about the current state of your reputation online and can help you identify the best ways to improve it.

A good online audit will tell you what keywords your company is currently ranking for, where you are currently showing up on the first page of Google results, and the topics that your website is currently ranking for. It might even tell you if you have any problems with content issues.

Online Reputation Management Tips

Always use a professional online reputation management company. It can be tricky to know which ORM strategies work and which don’t. It is important to work with a reputable online reputation management company that specializes in ORM, such as The SMB Hub.

We specialize in ORM and have the right tools to get the job done. We created our software with the specific intent of providing businesses with what they need to expand their operations. This gives the SMB owner access to tools that are usually only available to much larger businesses.

There are more steps you can take to ensure a stellar online profile. Here are a few to help you on your way:

Build Relationships With Your Online Community

Online communities are an important part of growing your brand. You want to find ways to interact with your online community and engage with them so they feel like they’re part of your brand. You can do this by posting on online communities, commenting on other people’s posts, and creating content that other people in your online community want to contribute to.

Respond to Comments and Questions

It can be tempting to ignore negative comments and fake reviews, but ignoring them can have a big impact on your reputation online. It is important to take the time to respond to any comments left on your posts and reviews.

Avoid Being a Spammer

It is tempting to share as many posts and reels as possible on social media. So it is important to avoid becoming a spammer.

ORM Is the Right Choice for You and Your Business 

Online reputation management will help your business succeed where others have failed. It will keep your good-standing front and center for your returning and potential customer base.

Need more information on ORM? We can help! We adore small businesses and are committed to helping small and medium-sized companies succeed in the current business climate.

We work hard to provide you with the information and resources you need to expand your company and its stellar reputation. Contact us or check out our Blog section for helpful information on how ORM can help you!

Pam

I love organizing. I like to be in control of my surroundings and everything in them. It makes me feel secure and happy. That's why I'm so good at my job--I love making things run smoothly!

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