Online reputation management
The internet and its role in everyday life has led to a major reinvention in the way businesses operate and market themselves, and online reputation management is no exception.
Traditionally, reputation management referred to influencing and controlling an organisation’s or individual’s reputation. With the rise of the internet and social media, however, search results have become a core aspect of a business’ reputation.
What is online reputation management?
Online Reputation Management (ORM) or Internet Reputation Management focuses on the management of a business’ search website results in Google. What search results appear and where they appear can have a massive impact on how a brand is perceived. Adoni Media’s Head of Digital, Milan Narayan, says reputation should also be considered in anything you do online.
“Personal branding is now just as important as company branding online. Content from both public and private pages can be scrutinised by the media and the public when a crisis occurs,” said Milan.
“90 per cent of local customers are likely to do research online before making a purchase decision, so having a positive appearance is vital for organisations. A good ORM strategy aims to have 10 to 20 positive pages ranked at the top of search engines.”
“To try and achieve this, ORM uses content creation and marketing, public relations, social media cultivation and interaction, SEO management, and review site maintenance.”
What is SEO reputation management?
As previously mentioned, one of the primary tools used by ORM is SEO management. Search engine optimization (SEO) influences top engine search results so that the positive webpages that the business wants seen appear first.
“In SEO strategies, companies should be integrating their PR and digital to keep all their messaging consistent and increase engagement in their business content,” said Milan.
“A major part of SEO is off page link building. Companies create content in relation to particular aspects of their business. This a great way to set yourself apart from competitors and become an authority on certain subjects. This should be a way to kill two birds with one stone.”
“Building content for SEO caters towards Google’s crawlers and builds authority for the website. It also builds authority with consumers who are researching this subject matter. Aligning your business with this kind of content can have a long-term profound effect on the reputation of the business.”
What is social media reputation management?
The power of social media and the role it plays in shaping a brand’s reputation is something that can be difficult to navigate. Social media reputational management developed to address this.
“More and more, big companies are having direct engagement with their consumers via Twitter and other social media sites. ORM gives a brand its voice in the spaces where they’re being discussed and allows direct interaction with users,” said Milan.
“Social media is queen, while Google is the king. Everything you do online should be planned and each piece of content should positively grow your brand, company, and personal image.”
“Businesses that resolve customer issues quickly have 95% of unhappy customers return, so monitoring online conversation on social media platforms is vital. Google alert and social mention are two great tools to achieve this.”
