Getting ahead in business is hard when your reputation has suffered damage. That means that online reputation management is more critical now than ever before. If you run a small business, you need every advantage you can get, and ORM can make all the difference between success and failure. Here are the best practices to keep your reputation strong in today’s marketplace.
1. Securing Your Online Accounts
Your online accounts are critical to your reputation, so it’s essential to take steps to protect them. The first step is to secure your social media and email accounts. If you haven’t already, set up two-factor authentication on all your social media and email accounts. As such, even if someone gets ahold of your password, they won’t be able to access your account without access to your phone. Also, ensure you have different account passwords—don’t use one for everything. And change passwords frequently, at least every three months or so.
That prevents malicious people from using any credentials you may accidentally leave behind in your browser history or saved login information to post damaging content to your social media accounts or impersonate you. That way, it can help keep hackers at bay, but unfortunately, nothing is 100% foolproof. A reliable Online Reputation management firm will use its savvy professionals to ensure you don’t become a victim of cybercrime. They will use the latest tools and techniques to protect and monitor your brand across multiple channels.
2.Monitoring Your Online Presence and Keeping Authentic Reviews
It’s not enough to know what your customers, clients, and followers are saying about you online; you need to keep track of their conversations on an ongoing basis. Monitoring this information can help you know when there is a problem that needs addressing or when there is something positive about your business. If it’s negative, you can use it as a learning opportunity to improve in that area and solve the point of concern to satisfy your clients and prevent the proliferation of bad reviews.
If it’s positive, consider thanking them publicly for their support or asking them if they would be willing to write a testimonial. A professional in online reputation management will be able to deal with the most complex situations, including those where multiple people are using different names to post false reviews. These cases require tracking down all these fake identities and then following up with any reviewers who have left a false and damaging review after undue influence from competitors or other ill-intended persons.
That way, you can ensure that only authentic, honest reviews appear. By maintaining good relationships with your clients, potential clients, and other stakeholders through monitoring and responding to real-time feedback, you can develop trust quickly—and demonstrate that you care about customer satisfaction above all else.
3.Creating Positive Content
Building a positive online presence is your first step to managing your online reputation. That means creating and sharing content that ties back to your brand, product, or service. Your goal is to become a trusted, reputable resource for creating unique and valuable content about a specific topic, such as customer service for an airline company. Managing your online reputation can be easier if you establish yourself as an authority in your field.
Positive content is a great way to get people talking about your brand. The more they talk, the better your chance of becoming searchable and indexed by Google’s algorithm. The more visible you are on Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and other search engines –the more likely customers will find you when they need your services or products. When someone needs what you offer – they’ll come looking for it online!
4.Responding Appropriately to Negative Comments and Reviews
It’s not hard to imagine an angry customer leaving a nasty comment on your business’s Facebook page or a review site like Yelp. These days, you might even receive a one-star review from someone who has never stepped foot inside your store. How should you respond to bad reviews? With restraint. While you may feel the temptation to lash out at a reviewer who has criticized your work, remember that responding with anger and hostility is unlikely to make them change their mind. Instead, politely point out any factual errors in their post and thank them for taking time out of their day to leave feedback—even if it isn’t positive.
That approach shows that you respect their opinion and their right to express it—and may also encourage them to revise their review accordingly. Remember that raising your temperatures won’t improve your reputation; acting professionally towards such comments will. An experienced online reputation management professional will not let your emotions get involved. They will work professionally to protect your business and satisfy your customers.
5. Avoid Spammy and Black Hat Strategies
Sometimes reputation management strategies are less about what you’re doing and more about what you’re not doing. Spammy or black hat tactics can negatively affect your online reputation, even if they initially help you appear higher in search results.
That is because Google has been cracking down on spammy practices, making it harder for websites that use them to rank highly in SERPs. If you want a long-term solution to your reputation issues, steer clear of spammy techniques and focus instead on creating positive content that will appeal to both humans and search engines alike.
Conclusion
Creating a good online reputation is a must for any business or individual in today’s world. An online reputation management professional will help you monitor your online presence and make sure that your brand, products, and services are represented well across all digital platforms and that your company maintains an excellent online presence! Keep it professional at all times! That will ensure that others take your brand seriously, too. Good luck!
