Examples of Brands Doing Online Reputation Management the Right Way

The importance of creating and maintaining a great online reputation can’t be underestimated. Many brands, big and small, have successfully steered their online reputation to improve their communication with customers and as a result achieved great results. Below you can find some examples of brands that have been doing it right.

Whole Foods

Grocery store Whole Foods is known for their great — and natural — selection of food, household items and clothing. The company has a great online reputation, but it hasn’t been entirely shielded from controversy. However, it’s how the company responded to conflicts that separates it from the rest.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal detailing his stance on healthcare reform under President Obama. While this was clearly the personal opinion of Mackey, it still affected the Whole Foods brand. Some customers were unhappy with the position of the CEO and even created boycott groups on Facebook.

Whole Foods was able to quickly assess the reputational risk and has taken swift action with an official statement a few days later. The response had a positive effect on the outcome of the situation. They also invited people to share their opinion on the matter, which sparked collaboration, engagement, and maintained their reputation as a brand that cares.

JetBlue

Having your flight delayed or cancelled is annoying for any customer and many must already be familiar with the feeling. Things don’t get better when staff members can’t provide enough information or dismiss customer complaints. When this happens, many customers take out their frustration on social media, including Twitter.

JetBlue recognized the issues the airline industry is facing from a reputational perspective and worked to position itself as a company that prioritizes customer service.

So, when a customer complains about a flight delay or cancellation, JetBlue makes sure to communicate with the client quickly and provide helpful responses. This way JetBlue managed to build a positive online reputation in a troubled industry.

Nike

When you’re trying to push out content, promote company news, or engage with thought leaders, it’s easy to lose track of customer complaints. Online reputation management works on many different levels and customer complaints shouldn’t be lost out of sight.

One way to stay on top of the swarm of messages on social platforms is to create separate handles for support. A brand that’s doing this is Nike. The @TeamNike account is dedicated entirely to responding to customers who need help.

Nike is clearly a huge company with lots of different avenues and products. @TeamNike allows the company to simplify the process while keeping complaints and questions in one support hub.

Online reputation management is an essential facet of any brand building, whether you’re just beginning to shape your message or have been in business for years. Online platforms are a great way to create and maintain your reputation, no matter if you’re responding to a blog post or communicating with customers on Facebook or Twitter.