Have You Searched Your Company’s Name Lately? Manage Your Online Reputation!

What’s the first thing customers do when they learn about your company? Pull out their phones and Google you.

Are you worried about the search results? You should be.

Your online reputation can damage your brand — or it can positively promote your company’s abilities. Here’s our guide for why your online reputation is so important and how marketing professionals can help take your brand to the next level.

Why It’s Important

Why should you care so much about what people on the internet think? A hit to your name is a hit to business. 94% of consumers avoid businesses that have negative online reviews, says Forbes. And negative publicity from the media will usually be the first result in a Google search.

Transparency is king. It’s not just reporters reacting to your content and behavior online. Consumers are talking about you. They want to talk with you — whether it’s DMing you on Facebook, tagging you on Twitter or commenting on Instagram.

“Today, websites are no longer static brochures. User-generated content is a must. And regular interactions on social networks are vital to any business success,” according to Neil Patel.

Your online reputation is critical. It impacts customer purchasing decisions. It also works as an online version of the telephone game. But you can use it to your advantage! Negative reviews may be jarring, but they also provide valuable feedback. You’re given an opportunity to engage with dissatisfied customers and bring them back for the long term.

What’s the best way to manage your online reputation? Engage with a marketing firm that specializes in online reputation management (ORM).

5 Ways Marketing Makes Your Name

ORM takes the reins of what information is out there about your business.

“In a nutshell, ORM is all about monitoring and managing your brand’s reputation across the web, about ensuring that your business is properly represented and that potential customers are left with a great impression on who you are and what you do,” explains SEMRush.

Experienced and effective digital marketing can help optimize and fulfill your brand potential. Here are the ways professionals can improve your online reputation:

Determine your personality

“Brands now behave like real people with idiosyncratic personalities on social media platforms,” Adam Alter, a marketing and psychology professor at New York University, told Vice in 2019. Marketing experts can help you mold how you present yourself to the public.

Are you sassy? Professional? Are you trying to communicate complex information to the layman or talking shop with industry insiders? Consider the odd marketing journey of Planters’ Mr. Peanut two years ago. In January 2020 he was killed off only to be resurrected as a baby at Super Bowl LIV and aged up to 21 in August 2020.

What was Planters hoping to accomplish? The end goal was seemingly to create a more modern, relatable mascot — a departure from the classic version who wore a top hat and monocle.

Monitor your mentions

Marketing firms can monitor your brand with reports, analytics and more. The first and simplest task is to search for your company through Google, Facebook and other platforms. The most recent results are the most important!

Next, set Google Alerts. This free tool emails automatic notifications whenever your company name is mentioned. These alerts are a good way to keep up on reviews, which we’ll talk about more below.

There are also digital tools you can purchase that monitor the conversation around your company. For example, Hootsuite can set up streams for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to show mentions of your brand.

Claim your Google Business Profile

Who tells your story? Marketing can work closely with you to take control of the narrative. The most powerful way is to claim your Google listing through Google Business Profile.

The free business profile has many customizable functionalities, including the ability to:

• Edit phone numbers, addresses, services and add a description
• Add pictures, logos, cover photos and virtual tours
• Add posts with links to sales, events and other content
• Access reviews that can be responded to or flagged

Respond to reviews

Along with Google Reviews, comprehensive marketing strategies tackle Yelp, Tripadvisor, G2, Capterra and other organic sources of customer interaction. A savvy marketing agency will speak for you with intelligence and empathy. Response goals range from conflict resolution to customer retention to letting people know their voice has been heard.

Smart marketing also responds with a sense of urgency.

“As important as it is to respond to every customer issue, it is even more important to respond quickly,” says Harvard Business Review. “We observed that a brand can capture substantially more value by replying right away.”

Escalate your online presence

Marketing can escalate your online presence with muscular content. Have you received bad reviews or reputation-spoiling press in the past? Positive content can bury them below positive Google results that recontextualize your story.

The right marketing delivers blog posts, social media messaging, podcasts, webinars, newsletters and more robust media on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis. Continuous content creation improves your reputation — and it can build up goodwill that sustains you through difficult times.

For More Information About Our Digital Marketing Agency

The Deciding Factor creates and delivers marketing that verbally and visually connects consumers with the brands they purchase. Our reputation management team is well versed in all facets of public relations and will help you deliver consistent, on-brand messaging.

Contact us to learn how we can devise a strategic plan to safeguard your valuable digital reputation.