How to Build Online Reputation Management

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Online reputation management (ORM) describes the process of controlling and improving the way your brand is perceived by others- especially potential customers. It is probably one of the most difficult parts of an online business. Several business owners find online reputation management difficult because the internet gives every one extreme freedom of speech. It is a broad community that reaches everywhere your business is represented.

Thankfully, there are ways to build online reputation management for your business. Some of them involve incorporating new practices and using developed ORM tools. Read on to learn more.

  1. Know the keys
    The first thing you must understand as an online business owner is people (clients, prospects, competitors, and everyone else) are talking about you. This happens regardless of the size of your business, which is why online reputation management is so important.

    Knowing the keys to ORM is the initial step toward building it. The keys are monitoring and response.

    Monitoring: The online world is vast, to say the least. Everyone is sharing their opinions on something. Monitoring means listening to what anyone involved has to say about your brand. Where you listen depends on your business. For example, if you are an electrical contractor, you should look towards review sites like Yelp and Google Maps. Tools that can help you with this stage include Mention , The Review Generator , and Google Alerts .

    Response: The aim of monitoring is to be able to do something about it. The next key is to respond to what people say to improve your reputation.

  2. Handle negative comments properly
    What do you do when customers leave a one-star review or someone drops bad comments about you on the web? Sometimes, it may seem better to ignore and wait till these negative comments get lost beneath happy clients. However, this is harmful because those comments will remain online and within view. The best option is to respond with professionalism and politeness. Try to show understanding and openness to working things out.

  3. Transparency risk
    If you have been in online business long enough, you must have heard people talk about transparency as a business. Transparency is a risk most business owners are unwilling to take because of the tricky results. Asking for feedback and one-on-one communication can quickly turn around to harm your ORM. Be transparent, but with limitations that can protect your brand identity.

  4. Encourage positivity
    It is essential to respond to positive comments and feedback from happy clients. This helps them feel a connection and improve business relationships. Thank customers for their feedback and if possible, promise to do better.

  5. Build your online presence
    Prevention always works better than having to bear the negative results when they occur. Build your online presence with positivity, authenticity, transparency, and efficiency. Constantly analyze your progress and learn from past mistakes. Yes, you might not be able to completely avoid negative comments that impact your online reputation, but you can beat them to a minimum. Use the right tools and stay informed.