{"id":3666,"date":"2021-01-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-24T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/owlsem.com\/?p=3666"},"modified":"2023-11-14T07:52:32","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T15:52:32","slug":"online-reputation-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/owlsem.com\/online-reputation-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Reputation Management and Why It Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Online Reputation Management?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Online reputation management is a strategy that your business or brand uses to grow and sustain a good reputation online. It\u2019s similar to reputation management in the sense of PR (public relations), which advises appropriate reactions to the social opinions of an entity within the public eye. Online Reputation Management is done online and extends beyond PR.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to a PR agent for a celebrity, the goal is to promote and publish as much positive public reaction as possible. Additionally, any negative press is intentionally kept to a minimum and sometimes confronted in a positive way, This helps avoid conflict overall. The same type of mindset is used when it comes to online reputation management (ORM).<\/span><\/p>\n

If you really want to protect your brand online, learning about ORM in the realm of digital marketing is especially useful at this time!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Does Online Reputation Management Do?<\/b><\/h3>\n

When it comes to online reputation management, it\u2019s important to build a long-term stance within the digital realm. For businesses, this is often done starting with online reviews such as Google, Angie\u2019s List<\/a>, Yelp, and GlassDoor. Reputation can also be built via social media, which is an increasingly popular platform many turn to in attempts to grow social networks for positive appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You might have noticed that some of the reviews on companies you\u2019ve researched actively respond to negative comments on their page. This is a type of online reputation management. Instead of ignoring– or worse, trying to delete– public low-star reviews from unsatisfied customers, they will reply in a respectful manner to show they care about the unhappy customer\u2019s experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This tactic does tend to benefit everyone in the long run. It builds trust in prospective clients and onlookers. Instead of seeing a hateful review left alone with no reply, a brand can provide feedback to show they desire a resolution. Responding to positive reviews in a kind way can also let an interested audience know you\u2019re available for continual feedback.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Does It Matter?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Nowadays it\u2019s said that over 80% of online shoppers conduct research before making a purchase from any given company. This isn\u2019t only true for big brands like Apple, Home Depot, or Ikea– this also applies to smaller, local businesses. Now that practically everyone uses smartphones, the initial company search begins with a mobile web inquiry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Companies who don\u2019t spend time on their online reputation management actually risk losing potential customers before they even visit their website or ad. Someone knowing about the products and services your business offers is one thing. But seeing a 2-star rating on Yelp with over 250 reviews feels kind of hopeless. Most people will scroll past that option and think, \u201cwhy bother with that brand? They have crappy ratings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

You Can\u2019t Afford to NOT Have Online Rep Management<\/b><\/h3>\n

With social media being such a focus on brand identity and managing your online reputation, your business really can\u2019t afford to have poorly-run ORM. Some people might see the term <\/span>online reputation management<\/span><\/i> and automatically think this means you can change your ratings or manipulate how people view your business. This isn\u2019t necessarily true– and is exactly the reason you need to figure out how to manage it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Types of Online Reviews that Matter for Reputation Management<\/b><\/h3>\n

There are several types of both good and bad online reviews that can affect your online reputation and resulting search terms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When someone Googles your company, hopefully, your website or primary offers come up first. This depends on how good your Search Engine Optimization is on your website (more on <\/span>SEO here<\/span><\/a>!). Sometimes, if you either 1) don\u2019t have a website yet or 2) don\u2019t have a good SEO setup, your Yelp page or online reviews will show up on the first search engine results page.<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of reviews that matter<\/em> include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n