Top 4 Online Reputation Management Best Practices for Businesses

Every business aims to keep its customers happy and satisfied . Hence, the reason for creating new strategies on a regular basis to ensure t...

Every business aims to keep its customers happy and satisfied. Hence, the reason for creating new strategies on a regular basis to ensure that products and services are of the highest standard and receive great positive reviews.

However, no matter how hard a company tries, there will always be one or a few comments that can affect or even tear down its reputation, faster than it was built. Thousands or even millions of dollars go down the drain because one disgruntled customer or client decides to air their frustration publicly. Oftentimes, these situations can be nipped in the bud but, some people prefer to use the online route for airing their grouse.

A company must be prepared at all times to tackle these situations before they become irreparable or become too costly.

The great thing is that there are many platforms and tools available for online reputation repair.

What is Online Reputation Management and How Does It Work?

Online Reputation Management, (ORM) means constantly watching an online profile to catch anything negative that may impact a company. It works by addressing the unfavorable online customer reviews or media reports that highlight the company in a negative way.

Dealing with this requires sending out a counter statement via different social media platforms, especially the one responsible for highlighting the negative in the first place.

Keep in mind that online reputation repair differs from PR, which focuses on presenting a company positively through advertisements and publications. Online reputation management reacts internally to negative comments.

Responding to Negative comments can be overwhelming with so many different social media outlets.

Top 4 Online Reputation Management Best Practices for Businesses

Here are the top four best practices for managing an online reputation of your business.

1. Take Responsibility for Errors

Too many times, companies try to be defensive, rather than acknowledge where they err. The public, in general, tends to be more forgiving of a company that shows signs of understanding whatever grouse its client may have.

Speaking to the person affected is even better, or addressing them directly in the online response, often appeals to their conscience and can even prompt the customer to recant their disparaging comment.

Taking responsibility should never be viewed as a bad thing but rather an honorable move. It also shows transparency and customers like to stay with companies they believe are trustworthy.

2. Respond Quickly

Sometimes the best ORM (Online Reputation Management) happens before any bad or negative comment, message, or review is posted. When customers ask questions, whether by messaging the company directly or posting generally on social media, a company should respond right away. Many surveys show that more than 80 percent of people anticipate immediate responses.

Therefore, acting immediately can alleviate frustration and anxiety in addition to preventing the situation from escalating. In fact, some only point out an issue they have, and a quick response will prevent it from becoming negative feedback.

3. Show Empathy

Being able to empathize with customers is even more important than the speed with which a company responds. Customers like to know that the company understands or relates to what they are going through. It softens their stance and makes it easier to be reasoned with. A customer wants to know that a company is really interested in resolving the issue.

4. Keep Abreast of Search Results

This is a great tool for online reputation repair as potential customers will see what a company puts out there through SEO, rather than negative feedback. There are many online tools to quickly catch bad information.

However, there are also tools to make sure that when customers search for a specific company, their competitor does not show up instead. That is an ideal online reputation management.