Table of Content:
- What is Social Media ORM?
- Why is Maintaining a Social Media Reputation Important?
- Tips to Manage Social Media Reputation
- Implement Reverse SEO
- Claim Listing on the Google My Business and Yelp
- Ask for Reviews
- Opt for Google Alerts
- Respond Politely
- Monitoring Social Media Accounts
- Usage of SEO
- Uploading Positive Content
- Flag Malicious Content
- Effect of Social Media on Online Reputation
- Can Social Media Profiles Influence Online Reputation?
- Things to Keep Track for Social Media Reputation Management
- The Name of the Company
- Name of The Products and Services
- Industry Keywords
- Specific Employee Names
- How to Choose the Best Social Media Reputation Repair Company?
- Understand your Business Needs
- Check Out the Services
- Note the Experience
- Take a Look at the Pricing
- Final Thoughts
Did you know that 91% of users trust online reviews as much as they do in case of personal recommendations?
In this era of the digital revolution, consumers seek the assistance of the web before opting for a product or service. That explains the need to have a pristine online reputation. Poor online image or even lack of a digital presence can have a detrimental impact on the overall sales of the company.
To boost online reputation, different business organizations are opting for social media reputation management services. These not only enhance productivity but also counter negative press or content. With an efficient online reputation management company at your service, you can now expand your brand with ease!
What is Social Media ORM?
Are you wondering what is social media reputation management? Well, for that you must understand the meaning of online reputation.
Online reputation is the overall image or credibility of a particular company when users search it on the web. These include information from pictures, search results articles, videos, mentions on social media platforms, and more.
There are various factors that can influence virtual reputation. For instance, the proportion of positive comments to negative or online feedback plays a crucial role in maintaining brand reputation.
Radical transparency has made people seek answers online. Most people prefer to search online about a product or service before choosing it. That is why attaining the services of the best online reputation repair company is crucial.
Online reputation management or ORM involves the usage of different strategies to maintain and protect the online image of a business. These strategies are usually a combination of public relations, marketing, SEO or search engine optimization, and legal aspects.
Why is Maintaining a Social Media Reputation Important?
For a business to prosper in this digital age, a trustworthy online media reputation is imperative. There are countless benefits that one can gain from a genuine virtual reputation. For starters, an increase in the trust in the customers can lead to enhanced sales of the company. Moreover, business organizations with maximum star ratings tend to get more customers.
Apart from these, the businesses also have the opportunity to hire talented professionals if they have a good reputation. No one wants to associate their career with a tarnished company. Furthermore, companies with an already good reputation can recover from a scandal much quickly. If the same happens to a business with a poor online reputation, the chances of recovery decrease drastically.
Tips to Manage Social Media Reputation
There are various tips that you can employ to maintain the online reputation. However, in an effort to help you out, we have made a list of the top pointers for effective Social Media ORM.
- Implement Reverse SEO
- Claim Listing on the Google My Business and Yelp
- Ask for Reviews
- Opt for Google Alerts
- Respond Politely
- Monitoring Social Media Accounts
- Usage of SEO
- Uploading Positive Content
- Flag Malicious Content
Let’s address each social media reputation management tips –
Implement Reverse SEO
Reverse SEO is a popular online reputation management technique. Here, you develop and optimize other websites to gain a higher ranking of the search engine. As a result, the negative reviews are pushed down and away from the attention of the user. For successful reverse SEO, the identification of proper keywords is essential.
Claim Listing on the Google My Business and Yelp
To develop a bond with customers, it is vital that your brand claims the listing on both Yelp and Google My Business. Keep in mind that the reviews on these two sites appear in the search results. Claiming the listing will help you to respond to both negative and positive feedback.
Ask for Reviews
The best way to develop a reliable online reputation is to encourage reviews. Here, you have to take a certain amount of risk. When asking for feedback, you don’t know if you will get good or bad reviews. No matter the response, reviews can keep your brand in the spotlight.
Opt for Google Alerts
Setting up Google Alerts can actually aid you in managing your online reputation. Receiving updates whenever your company is mentioned or searched can help you keep track of it. That way, you can handle negative attention with ease.
Respond Politely
Irrespective of the criticism or appreciation that you get online, you must reply politely. Moreover, the response must be quick and address the issue. Try to opt for a tone that is somewhere between formal and too personal. Arguing or fighting with a customer online is a scandal waiting to happen.
Monitoring Social Media Accounts
Having business accounts on different social media platforms is not enough. These must be regularly updated to retain the user’s attention. It is vital that you post relevant content on social media platforms. Failing to monitor the social media accounts makes it impossible to outrank the negative content about your business.
Usage of SEO
SEO or search engine optimization plays a significant role in reputation management. The proper usage of SEO leads to the top ranking of the company on the search engine result page. It is vital to remember that 90% of users never look past the first result page of the search engine.
Uploading Positive Content
One of the best ways to deal with negative reviews is to upload content that reflects the brand positively. For this, the article or blog must have search engine optimization. Moreover, it must be relevant, quirky, and able to catch the attention of the users.
Flag Malicious Content
It is true that the internet allows people the freedom to post whatever they want. But, if the content is malicious or offers false information, then you can flag it.
Effect of Social Media on Online Reputation
The importance of social media on the online reputation of a brand is unparalleled. In today’s age, social media plays a crucial role in determining the success of a company. Don’t believe it? Take a look at these stats.
78% of users claim that social media posts influence their buying decisions. Moreover, 54% of consumers use different social media platforms to research services or products.
These data are enough to drive home the fact that social media is a prominent influencer. That is why almost all business organizations are keen to develop and maintain a good online presence. For that, business accounts on different social media platforms are a must.
With reliable social media and company reputation, the brand can survive the cutthroat competition with ease. Moreover, they can field complaints and resolve issues without any additional trouble.
However, the companies with a bad or nonexistent online reputation find it tough to survive even the barest scandal.
It is true that consumers tend to seek out social media to vent their feelings. Whether it be praises or grievances, you can expect both. While positive reviews are remarkably good for your online reputation, there are ways to deal with the complaints.
For starters, an informal and passionate reply to a complaint is a wise decision. Keep in mind that pleasing everyone is never actually possible. But, what you can do is try to manage the situation with courteous replies and alternative services. The way you treat your consumers can play a massive role in creating a good online reputation.
Can Social Media Profiles Influence Online Reputation?
In short, yes!
Social media profiles can definitely influence the ORM social media of a business. There is a well-acknowledged two-step formula that you can adopt. The first involves proper optimization of the profile. In the second step, the effort is given to build up the brand. It can be done by opting for different engagement techniques.
Let’s take a detailed look into this two-step formula.
- Optimization
If you overlook your social media profile and think the content is enough to attract traffic, it’s a mistake. Proper social media profile optimization can help you rank higher in the search engines too. There are various aspects where you must pay special attention. For instance, full name, biography, picture, location, privacy, links to your business website, and more.
- Engage
After you have optimized the social media profiles, you need to focus on engagement. For starters, you can observe other successful leaders in your field. See how they connect with the audience and maintain the interest. Then, you can look out for communities that are relevant to your industry. There, you can post original content to gain more traffic to your business.
Things to Keep Track for Social Media Reputation Management
There are various things that you need to keep track of to maintain the online social reputation. Though there are several tools that can help you gain more information, you can also do it manually. Here, is a list of things that you can monitor for efficient social media reputation management.
- The Name of the Company
- Name of The Products and Services
- Industry Keywords
- Specific Employee Names
The Name of the Company
One of the prominent phrases that you need to monitor is the name of the company or brand. Whenever you find a mention of your company on the web, you can send a quick reply to boost engagement rates. Moreover, you must also look out for misspellings!
Name of The Products and Services
Apart from the name of the brand, you must also search for services and products. People can refer your product to another or even raise a complaint. Responding to both is an excellent marketing strategy.
Industry Keywords
It is pertinent that you are aware of the latest trends. Keeping a track of the industry-specific keywords is a must.
Specific Employee Names
If your company has an employee or employees that have an attractive online presence, you can utilize that too.
How to Choose the Best Social Media Online Reputation Repair Company?
Now that you know what is reputation management in social media, it is time to choose the best online reputation management company. For that, you need to take into account several factors. Keep in mind that opting for a company without extensive research can yield poor results and financial loss. Take a look at the parameters.
- Understand your Business Needs
- Check Out the Services
- Note the Experience
- Take a Look at the Pricing
Understand your Business Needs
Before you begin your research on ORM companies, it is pertinent that you ascertain your business goals. For instance, understand if you need to clean up the mess in social media or maybe you need help with online reviews. It will help you to opt for the best service provider.
Check Out the Services
It is vital that you check out the services offered. Keep in mind that the more services a company can offer, the less you have to search again. If you can find complaint removal services, social media monitoring, and more in one place, it will reduce time wastage.
Note the Experience
Though the ORM industry is still in its nascent stages, the firms that have been around for some years can provide better services. With years comes the industry experience that will help you to deal with your problems.
Read Reviews
Before making any financial commitments, you must check out the reputation of the ORM company. For that, you can read the reviews and testimonials. You can also conduct background research and ask about their client portfolio.
Take a Look at the Pricing
Another thing that you must take into account is the price rate. Set up a budget and see if the price quotes fall within it. If it doesn’t, you might need to search for other companies. But, it is vital to remember that prices can vary depending on the quality, efficiency, and reputation of the firm.
These are some of the criteria that can help you in finding efficient ORM full form social media.
Final Thoughts
As digitization takes over the world, the need to maintain social media reputation increases. Star ratings, online reviews, and comments have made an impact on consumer behavior. Almost 3 customers out of 4 are willing to trust a service if they have positive reviews. With the increase in consumers, the company has the opportunity to expand and grow. It ultimately leads to enhanced sales and ROI.
While some may argue that online reputation can be self-managed, it might not be true for all cases. Availability of resources, time, and skill determines if a company can maintain its online reputation by itself. In most cases, business organizations seek the aid of professional reputation management services.
