Managing the online reputation of your business is an everyday task. Internet users’ perception of your brand or company requires that we be attentive to various elements, from the website, blog, opinions, reviews, recommendations, responses to surveys, etc.
What is online reputation?
Online reputation is the opinion, idea or concept people form about an institution, brand, company or person based on their experiences.
It is essential to realize that online reputation is not under the absolute control of the subject or organization. Beyond the image projected by the brand or company itself, online reputation is also formed by the messages, comments and opinions expressed by third parties on social networks, forums, blogs, review portals and online media.
However, an excellent online reputation can be maintained if it is visible through well-positioned content, acts with transparency, has a solid and loyal customer base, and the voice of the customer is heard.
We agree that generating information and opinions through platforms such as forums, blogs, social networks, and rating portals is straightforward and easily damages the reputation of brands and people.
Therefore, companies need to monitor and act in these digital spaces, for example, responding to negative comments and entering into dialogue with their detractors.
Importance of managing online reputation
Reputation management can be defined as the conscious control and influence of the company’s reputation. Reputation management includes planning, controlling, building, monitoring, and maintaining a positive reputation.
Why is reputation management critical?
The so-called branding, in which a company builds its brand by developing and communicating specific values and characteristics that make users identify the brand and differentiate it from the competition, is no longer sufficient today since consumers have opinions. And they publicly share what they think and also the experiences they have had with a company.
Regardless of the size of your company, you can be sure that people are talking about it on the Internet. Customers share their experiences on public networks or opinion portals.
These public opinions do not have to coincide with your values and ideas about your business. Therefore, successful companies frequently conduct a corporate reputation survey and measure the impact of public opinion.
Remember that your reputation reflects the overall health of your brand and business, making it a key indicator of success and growth. That is why managing online reputation and influencing consumer perceptions is so essential.
Customers study comments and opinions from the public to decide on a product. It is a fact!
Thanks to the information available on the Internet, customers are informed and make quick decisions. One of the most valuable sources of information is user-generated content, that is, what is said about your brand in reviews and social networks and how you are rated online.
These public reviews contribute significantly to your online reputation. If potential customers don’t like what they read, they will go to the competition.
