Online Reputation Management: How Companies Improve Their Online Image in 5 Steps
In the age of rating platforms and social media, feedback is not only visible online, but can also be provided quickly. What’s more, consumers can help shape the company and brand image. This makes it all the more important to introduce proactive online reputation management (ORM).
Today more than ever, brands need a complete view of their online presence in order to optimize their digital image. Companies must listen to their customers, respond to feedback and ensure a positive customer experience at every single touchpoint. This is the only way to ensure that they can manage brand perception and offer their customers the best possible customer experience.
The following five (5) measures show a path to this transformation.
1. Prioritize reputation management in the context of the customer experience
Evaluations, whether positive or negative, are a valuable source for every company. Checking, tracking and optimizing the online reputation has a beneficial effect on business. But online reputation cannot be managed in isolation from other business processes. Close integration with other customer engagement initiatives is essential to make reputation management a central part of your overall customer experience strategy. In fact, you need integrated customer experience and reputation management.
2. Win the trust and loyalty of customers
While business goals and financial metrics are among the main drivers for online reputation optimization projects, your primary focus should be on building an authentic, transparent and trusted brand. Most consumers say that trust in a brand is a key factor in deciding which products they buy.
Customers also place a particularly high level of trust in ratings and reviews that they find on third-party review websites. Such websites are not only the most important source of information for consumers, they also find them more reliable than the company’s customer service.
3. Actively encourage customers to provide feedback
Make use of different tactics to actively use customer feedback for your brand building such as surveying published positive ratings, publishing customer feedback on the company website and making use of their rating stars. If you cultivate the listed tactics and also maintain your company entries on third-party websites, you have taken the first step towards improving your brand perception among customers and prospects.
Ideally, you will be able to incorporate the feedback you receive into your business decisions. You should also test different channels to get customers to give feedback. In addition to social media, targeted e-mail and text messaging is also an effective tool.
4. Answer customers’ questions and address negative feedback
Customer reviews are not a one-way street. Actively reviewing and responding to reviews is crucial for success. Dealing effectively with questions and feedback can not only increase profit margins but also have a positive effect on customer satisfaction. The majority of customers expect companies to respond to their feedback, whether positive or negative. So create response time guidelines and also set workflows or an escalation procedure for negative reviews.
5. Invest in technology for a complete view of your customers
When you use a software solution to monitor ratings and optimize your feedback management, you get rid of tedious manual processes. With a robust, effective system, you can gain valuable insight into your online reputation and customer experience, identify areas for improvement, and ultimately drive positive business development.
Online Reputation Management: Customer experience and reputation go hand in hand
ORM is increasingly becoming a success factor for business success. In combination with effective customer experience management and the desire to actively listen to customer opinions, customer trust can be built up effectively. The more solid a company’s reputation is, the greater the probability of optimizing products or services and winning customers.
What’s more, a great customer experience at every touchpoint turns consumers into brand ambassadors who in turn convince potential customers. The key lies in the combination: to manage customer experiences positively and optimize the digital image. Both are mutually dependent. Making only one of these two aspects your mission will not be enough in the long term to hold your own against the competition.
