“Oh, no! Not again!” Pamela exclaimed while reviewing the Google Analytics report for her courier service business. “Very few conversions in the past few months! And not a single customer review!” “Mama, why are you bothered about reviews?” Asked her ten-year-old son. “Because it matters. Beyond all the hard work you put in to deliver the best service, business runs on online reputation management. People hesitate to buy what is unknown and new, but easily purchase what is known and popular. Just like the way you purchase a known and favorite brand of chocolate in preference to a new one.” Pamela replied calmly.
There are hundreds of entrepreneurs like Pamela who do the best they can to deliver efficient customer service but still struggle to get clients and recognition. Are you one of them? Take a close look at the digital footprint of your business. You would know where you are lacking.
That is why ORM servicesare in demand. It is what establishes a business as a brand known to everyone.
What is Online Reputation Management? How do ORM Services Help?
It is all about how people view your business and what they think about it when they come across it online. For instance, consider Apple smartphones and i-pads. When people view the brand name Apple anywhere on the internet, whether they purchase or not, they know it is a brand they can trust. If there is a lesser-known brand in electronics, people could have different opinions regarding it. Entrepreneurs may have different goals regarding online reputation management. Some people choose to be a brand well reputed for product quality. Some might want a reputation for delivering the best customer service. Yet there could be another business that wants to establish itself as an authority in its niche. Before you work towards your online reputation management, consider your reputation goal. Digital marketing agencies provide Online reputation management services (ORM services) to create more awareness of your business and establish your business as a brand. Public platforms like social media are an ideal source to know, analyze, and enhance your business reputation.Which platforms affect the online reputation of my business?
There are different types of online sources that help you to determine the digital reputation of your business.
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Social media sites
Of course, you would probably not miss out on monitoring this platform to check the ORM of your business, as you pay to digital marketing companies to manage ads and campaigns on social media. You would not miss the web traffic and conversions you gain through these channels. -
Unpaid sites / blogs
While backlinks to your website connect another page’s information to yours, unpaid sites just mention about your business in their web content, like the way we mentioned Apple in this blog earlier. Though you do not pay these websites/ blogs to talk about your business, you can track them to know in what context your business name is being used, as it affects your online reputation. -
The Content you Publish
Publishing your own blogs, webpages, and videos to talk about your own business is always a great way of marking your online presence. In this way, you can attempt to create awareness of your brand on your own. The blogs and posts you publish online would also contribute to your online credibility.
Which tools can help to monitor the online reputation of my business?
It is the best practice of every entrepreneur to know what information is being published online regarding their business. Here are some good tools to track this information.
- Alerts: It monitors all content from Google regarding your business and provides you with alerts regarding any content published concerning it.
- Talkwalker Alerts: This tool is similar to Google Alerts and gives pretty much similar information.
- The Brand Grader: The Brand Grader gives the details of which websites/ blogs mentioned the name of your business/ website in the last four weeks.
- Go Fish Digital: This is a good tool to track the negative reviews you might have received online.
- Twitter Analytics: Want to know how well your tweets have been going with the public and the likes and engagements it has been gaining? Then do not miss out on this tool to get the numbers.
General tips for the betterment of your online reputation management
- Be genuine at your work: Firstly, be genuine in your work and deliver the best of your products and services. Gaining a reputation becomes far from reality if the quality of your products and services is not good.
- Publish valuable content: Publish a clear, readable, informative content that the reader finds beneficial.
- Refrain from giving confidential details: Do not let any confidential information, either of your business or others, leak through the content you publish. It shows a lack of professionalism.
- Maintain active social media accounts: Inactive accounts indicate that your business is inactive too!
- Value and respect your clients: Acknowledge their feedback and reviews. If you receive negative feedback, work towards making the situation better for them to the extent possible.
- Not just an online reputation, ensure that you have a great offline reputation as well