A Guide to Reputation Management

For many of us, having access to everything online has become part of our new way of life. That is why it is so important for companies to manage their online reputations via their websites and on social media.

Recent statistics have shown the following to be true:

• Ninety-two percent of consumers report not frequenting a business with a bad reputation.
• Eighty-seven percent of customers report that they will reverse a purchase decision after reading negative news or reviews online. 
• Seventy-nine percent of consumers trust an online review as much as they would a recommendation from a friend.
• Ninety-seven percent of shoppers who read reviews from other consumers also read responses from businesses.
• One negative article online can result in a loss of up to 22% of all prospective customers.

So, what can a business do to protect its brand reputation? First, understand that it is impossible to completely avoid negative posts. Then develop a strategy for mitigating negative comments regarding your professional brand. In effect, the purpose of your reputation management program is to build positive brand awareness.

Four steps for brand protection

Step 1: Determine who your target audience is and where they are getting their information from. For instance, Construction Dive is aimed at construction companies. It addresses its target demographic by appealing to its needs and industry trends using language that users respond to. 

If your company is in the construction industry, use this information to develop a social media presence using relevant hashtags to help you share information with your target audience. This information can be about content that the audience is interested in or original thought leadership. 

You can also use this as an opportunity to learn where the target audience lives. What publications does your audience read? Which trade shows do people in your target demographic attend? What podcasts do industry leaders appear on? Use this information as a road map that your company’s thought leaders can follow. 

Step 2: Communicating your company’s brand will look different from communicating your personal brand as a representative of your company. The goal of your personal brand is to create rapport with your followers and interact with them. However, your company’s voice is going to be different from yours, as it is curated to help you build brand awareness, drive traffic to your company’s website, and build a lead generation pipeline.

Differentiating the messaging can be challenging. Just remember that the voice of your brand needs to be authentic and engaging. It needs to speak to the audience of your brand without sounding robotic or like a salesperson.

Step 3: Consistency is key. Being present on social media means setting aside time every single day to engage with followers. Scheduling your posts with the help of software like Hootsuite is another way to maintain your presence, but responding to personal responses and posts is even more critical.

Step 4: Create a backup plan in the event that your program as it currently stands is not enough. Google Alerts or other online reputation management software can monitor mentions of your brand. In truly critical situations, a dedicated reputation management company may be advisable.

Implementing a robust reputation management program takes time and effort. It is also an ongoing process. However, the results are worth the energy you’ll expend toward your reputation management efforts, especially in light of the fact that, as of January 2021, global social media users reached 4.2 billion. That’s over 53% of the earth’s population. But the best way to defuse negative comments is developing a positive image online.

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