Why Is Online Reputation Management Important?
Online reputation is the image of a company, person or institution on the Internet. Beyond the image projected by the brand itself, online reputation is also composed of news, comments and opinions expressed by third parties in social networks, forums, blogs and online media. A good online reputation can be maintained by being visible through well-positioned content, acting with transparency, having a strong community and listening to what users say. Online reputation management is as important as existing, and many jobs in the future will depend on it.
There is a basic principle that determines that if you are not online you do not exist. That precept works very well for brands, products or characters such as influencers or celebrities, and even for ordinary users. There is another one around traditional media. It used to be said that there was no bad publicity, it didn’t matter what they talked about, as long as the character was in the conversation, it was enough.
Now, that advice is not taken so literally, for while it is true that it is important to exist, it is also true that there is nothing hidden on the Internet. At the height of success, material may come to light that you wouldn’t want to share but is on the web. So what can be done?
You need to learn how to manage your online identity, brand and reputation — it is a continuous process that involves trial and error.
Analysing your online reputation
To achieve proper online reputation management, it is essential to analyze all aspects surrounding the brand or company. Monitoring comments on social networks, interactions and mentions are key tasks. It is necessary to know what is being talked about. To do this, it is necessary to make frequent searches, have notices or email alerts turned on for certain search terms relating to the brand, and be very aware of relevant and important review sites as well as social media platforms.
All important commentary sites should also be viewed. New searches should be done from time to time, even if some of them are controlled with alerts. For example, Google alerts sometimes do not separate spam from real comments.
Managing your online reputation
There are many things that can be done to improve or manage online reputation, the ideal is to do it with care and commitment to avoid mistakes.
If you are going through a reputation crisis, it is advisable to use a blog to carry a message. Content, especially high-quality content, generates and transmits confidence and knowledge. Not only as a tool in a crisis, but in any aspect. These will be the best shields in the face of any inconvenience. Quality content must be created.
A good way to achieve a good online reputation is to have and promote a presence on social networks, so that you can inform customers and others. You can monitor comments about the company since social media users can write complaints or doubts on the company’s website, and in this way you can easily answer negative comments. This is a double-edged sword, but the ideal would be to respond very quickly to each user, regardless of whether it is a compliment, complaint or labeling of a third party.
You can also position the good opinions and comments, or create pages for that purpose. This strategy should be complemented by always having a response to criticism or bad opinions, trying to improve the company’s image with a convincing response that shows that the company is interested in people’s opinions.
Everyone is important in an online community and everyone deserves a response.
One thing you should never do is delete comments. The offended user will continue to look for platforms to make their annoyance clear, the best thing to do is to reply and create a strategy to apologize without apologizing, that is, offer things in return that invite them to follow the brand in a positive way.
Likewise, with professional profiles, social networks and microblogging you can generate interesting content that influences the creation of a better reputation.
The most important thing in online reputation management is to work preventively and dedicate a lot of time to the creation of positive online reputation.
