Online reputation management (ORM) is about understanding and influencing how the general public perceives a company, person, or other entity online. Professionals like those at BRANDefenders can help shape a brand’s image with a proper digital marketing strategy. This could be the perception of the brand itself, individuals, or particular products and services offered by a business.
No matter how solid a brand’s reputation is, improvements can always be made. And, of course, by strategizing with online reputation management in mind, you can also better perform in marketing a brand. This can be accomplished by using paid adverts, modifying material on the brand’s website, or nudging customers to post complimentary reviews of their interactions on social media or websites.
If you’re looking to expand your company and unsure whether reputation management is the right way to approach your digital marketing, we’ve compiled the top 9 ways ORM could help. Below, you’ll learn more about why you should consider ORM for your brand and, with the help of experts like the team at BRANDefenders, put your business on the right track.
1. Create Favorable Business Reviews
You should study client feedback and use it to improve the customer experience. If you use the right outlets, reviews may help you attract new clients. Because they give you feedback, even bad reviews can be helpful. Use them to better your future product before the launch date and to improve your company.
Having insightful knowledge about which of your goods or services are bestsellers is another advantage of using analytics for online reputation management. It can inform you of any future upgrades that increase sales.
As you better understand your reviews and strive for a better online reputation, you will also find more favorable reviews coming in. And as you improve reviews of your products and services, you’ll also enhance your digital marketing efforts by standing out amongst your competitors.
2. Improve Your SEO
Because it raises brand awareness, boosts search engine ranks, and enhances your online brand image, search engine optimization is essential to online reputation management.
Additionally, reputation management firms like BRANDefenders can run various digital marketing initiatives and contribute user-generated material to your Google My Business (GMB) profile.
As a result, investing in online reputation management helps you improve your online presence, making you more of an authority to Google. As this happens, the search engine will direct more traffic your way. And, of course, increased traffic is always a welcome addition to any digital marketing campaign.
3. Engage Younger Audiences
In the digital age, having no informational social influence or online presence is not a wise business move since you risk losing out on a whole group of younger customers who typically have a solid online presence.
A 2019 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 86% of millennials and 59% of baby boomers use social media.
Let’s look at three digital marketing ways you can engage younger audiences:
Use QR Codes
QR codes (quick response codes) have gained popularity recently due to better usability and the coronavirus outbreak. These square matrix barcodes are being utilized to reach a broad audience, from the health organizations employing them as part of COVID-19 track and trace to sports networks putting them into live sporting events. However, businesses can also utilize QR codes for more focused marketing initiatives, such as promoting products and services to a younger demographic.
Create Microsites
A web page or collection of web pages independent of your official site is known as a microsite. They frequently utilize the same branding but could convey a different tone or have an objective other than a corporation’s main website. Consider them as miniature web pages.
Microsites can be used to create mini campaigns and connect better with younger audiences, improving your digital marketing.
Gamification
As the attention spans of younger generations decrease, companies need to keep their audience engaged. Engaging them with fun games and activities can improve your online reputation management, making your brand more authentic, fun, or even light-hearted. If you gamify your microsite website, you will provide an exciting way to retain and attract new customers, leading to increased sales.
4. Improve Loyalty and Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Selling to current customers is six or seven times simpler than finding new ones. However, long-term customer satisfaction and maintaining a solid relationship with existing clients are by no means simple tasks.
One advantage of managing your online reputation is increasing your customer lifetime value by enhancing the brand’s reputation and fostering brand honesty. For example, you might be curious about how reputation management accomplishes that. The solution is to use positive and negative evaluations to demonstrate your commitment to guaranteeing client pleasure.
You’ve seen, for instance, how an online reputation management tool may position favorable reviews so that users see them right away on the front page. Regarding bad comments, you might not be able to remove them altogether.
Responding to these customers’ feedback cordially and sympathetically would be preferable. You can communicate with them online and resolve their issues. A prompt response is crucial; replying the same day or in real-time fosters confidence and prevents your current customers from switching to rival brands.
5. Establishes Credibility and Trust
Internet users mainly use social media platforms to allow them to voice their ideas on any subject. Because people frequently buy products from reputable brands, trust is crucial for any business. Companies must therefore generate customer loyalty strategies.
Some of the best ways they can do this are to avoid getting bad reviews. For example, nobody wants to be connected with a company that the public perceives poorly. Thanks to efficient online reputation management technology, only content that enhances brands is permitted to appear on social media platforms and search engines.
Companies can pick what they wish their audiences to view by using online reputation management software instead of leaving web content unmanaged. And as you become more of an authority in your industry, it will suddenly become far easier to manage your digital marketing campaigns. After all, without credibility, you’re fighting an uphill battle to earn potential customers’ trust. But with authority, your campaigns can truly take hold of your target audience.
6. Boost Sales
Before deciding on a brand, service, or product, people conduct online research. Companies with poor reputations and those with the most unfavorable ratings lose out on significant sales. Because of this, it’s critical for your business to have a favorable brand image that potential customers can immediately trust.
A solid internet reputation makes you seem like a reliable brand, encouraging clients to buy from you without hesitation and raising your revenue. All of this comes with ORM from agencies like BRANDefenders. And as your reputation improves, your sales will increase, supporting your marketing efforts.
7. Draws in Quality Employees
Reviews have a significant role in luring both clients and possible employees. In fact, one survey revealed that 1 in 3 potential employees have turned down job offers after reading negative company reviews.
A thriving workforce is built on maintaining a qualified workforce. A positive internet reputation encourages multiple offers for just about any job vacancy a company might have. Leading individuals are sought after by businesses in every sector, and a qualified applicant will always conduct research before submitting an application to your business or accepting any job there.
With the best team on your side, you can better focus on digital marketing for your customers and let your sparkling reputation do the work for potential employees.
8. Online Word-of-Mouth
Under ideal circumstances, online word-of-mouth spreads quickly. The Internet’s viral nature and online involvement have combined to create a potent instrument for disseminating information about your goods, services, area of expertise, and brand. However, the results can be disastrous if a negative listing pollutes this message. This online word-of-mouth is made positive with the help of online reputation management.
The BRANDefenders team will keep track of the chatter and know when to step in and how. And as the chatter supports your digital marketing goals, everything comes together perfectly.
9. Increase Visibility
A reputation must be taken seriously if you want to be seen by your target audience. With many people taking to social media to learn more about brands, you need to know how to work the algorithms in your favor. And a brand with stellar online reputation management is far more likely to appear at the top of feeds across various platforms.
The best option for establishing yourself on social media and getting more eyes on your brand is with the help of professionals like those at BRANDefenders.
Conclusion
When it comes to ORM and digital marketing, neither is an island. With similar goals in mind of getting more favorable eyes on your brand, they each strongly influence the other.
As your reputation improves, digital marketing will become much more manageable. After all, it’s far simpler to market a respected brand than an unknown or poorly perceived one.
If you want to see how ORM can improve your marketing online, let experts like those at BRANDefenders start helping you.