About the Goals and Advantages of Online Reputation Management
Thanks to online communication channels, personal opinions can be made available to a broad public in a fraction of a second. Defamation and false reports are a serious threat to companies and private individuals alike. They can damage their own reputation and credibility. With strategic reputation management, you can prevent damage to your reputation and build up a positive image.
What is Reputation Management?
Reputation management comprises the planning, development, maintenance, management and control of the reputation of an organization, a company or an individual. Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the targeted monitoring and strengthening of the reputation on the Internet.
What are the goals of strategic Reputation Management?
Reputation management fulfils two basic functions. First, it aims at active image communication. The Internet and, above all, social networks are important tools for this purpose. The aim is to build a positive image and strengthen one’s own credibility.
The second key objective pursued by strategic reputation management is to protect the existing image. The risk of becoming a victim of criticism or slander can be actively minimized. A forward-looking crisis management is essential. If the good reputation is at risk, effective crisis communication is of the utmost importance.
What advantages does Reputation Management offer?
1. For Companies
By managing reputation holistically, the visibility of the company online is improved. It strengthens customer loyalty and the good reputation with relevant stakeholders. The company appears more likeable and leaves a lasting impression. Reputation-enhancing measures create trust and turn customers into brand ambassadors. They also maximize the attractiveness of the company’s own brand among all target groups.
Furthermore, it offers protection against slander by competitors. Hotels, for example, for which good ratings on comparison and travel portals are vital for survival, benefit from a strategic ORM.
Especially in times of crisis, effective reputation management is essential. Image crises as well as sales slumps can be quickly overcome or even completely avoided. The value of successful crisis management becomes clear when one considers that product recalls or consumer criticism on the Internet receive unwanted attention. In such cases, damage to reputation can be averted through fast and authentic reactions.
2. For Freelancers
Almost all tradesmen, lawyers and doctors have their own websites to retain existing customers and attract new customers, clients or patients. Reputation attacks can be very damaging to freelancers. Loss of income and the threat to their existence are often the consequences of reputation-damaging statements on online rating portals.
A well thought-out reputation management offers many advantages for freelancers. Target groups can be addressed systematically, personal expertise can be emphasized and one’s own achievements can be made public. Targeted communication measures enable you to shape your reputation.
3. For Public Figures
For celebrities, a character assassination campaign can quickly mean the end of their career. Negative or false statements remain available in the digital space for years. They can be quoted and spread again and again by journalists, opponents and other users.
A professional reputation management helps e.g. politicians, actors or athletes present desired content to a broad public and thus erase false information from the web. In this way, active influence can be exerted on the formation of user opinions. A strategic image management increases one’s own awareness and popularity. Politicians, for example, can address new groups of voters by using social networks.
4. For Private Individuals
HR professionals now like to research the Internet for information about potential employees. If you are in the middle of the application process, the content published on the Internet should paint as favourable a picture as possible. For example, it makes sense to have unpleasant relics from the past or incorrect information rectified. Through targeted reputation management, you can define yourself as a brand and increase recognition. In the long term, reputation-enhancing strategies can increase individual career opportunities.
