Managing Your Brand’s Reputation: 4 Tips to Get Started
September 4, 2019
Just like that high school reputation, once tarnished, it can be impossible to rebuild. So, being proactive in reputation management is key. Being a successful company is about more than just selling lots of product and bringing in a high income, it’s also about building brand recognition and customer loyalty. Both these things go hand in hand with brand reputation.
Whether you’re a new business or you’ve been in the game for years, there are always ways to improve your brand’s online reputation. Here, we’ll go over 4 of the main ways to stay above rumors, steer clear of negative limelight, and remain on the road to success.
1. Update Regularly and Stay on Top of Social Media
One of the most important places to maximize reputation potential is social media. The name itself tells you how these platforms work for you, sharing your brand socially across a wide assortment of internet users. The best way to keep your social media pages free of negativity and void of potential for reputation-related issues is by monitoring it and posting regularly.
Even if you choose to hire a social media manager, it’s crucial to focus in on your accounts manually from time to time. Check the newsfeed, customer comments, private messages, and make sure that everything is looking as it should be.
Posting regularly keeps your account relevant and on the mind of those who follow you. Staying fresh and visible is important for a variety of reasons, one of which being search engine optimization. Even though Google and other engines don’t rank based on social media pages, they can have an impact if they create enough traffic to your website.
2. Google Yourself Once in a While
Everybody has Googled themselves at some point for fun. For businesses, Googling yourself is a bit more serious. What the internet, especially search engines, is saying about your brand could make or break it. Keeping tabs on your reputation by searching your brand will show you what others are saying. From critics and customers to competitors and news outlets, your brand could be doing great or need attention. This will keep you in the know.
Once you know what your brand is up against, you can better manage it. This could mean employing the services of a reputation management company, or simply working harder at one area of your business.
If your Google search comes up short, don’t assume it’s because your brand has stayed out of the spotlight and needs no help. Some brands don’t register with Google because of website violations, which have knocked them down in rank, or blocked them completely. Be sure to do your research to determine whether your site needs more online visibility, or because there’s a deeper issue to resolve.
3. Don’t React to Negativity Until You’ve Taken Time to Process
There are two reasons for this. One, you may be worked up from reading negative press and could get defensive, or worse. Two, the individual who posted the negative comment or article could still be worked up from reliving their “bad experience”. All negative comments should be acknowledged, and if possible, rectified. However, taking the time to deal with them appropriately is a good idea.
Negative press of this nature is delicate and could upset the balance of your brand’s reputation in no time. Reacting and dealing with it carefully will make potential problems disappear.
4. Stay Vocal, Even When Negativity is Afoot
Disappearing behind the façade of nonchalance will do nothing but further harm a tarnished reputation. Therefore, if you’ve received some bad press, don’t let yourself fade into the background. Once you’ve faced the issue, and tried your best to resolve it, it’s important that you remain positive and in contact with other customers.
Continue to reach out and engage with your audience through social media outlets, your website, and even video blogs. The more you comment, share and like, the more followers will come to recognize that you have nothing to hide from. Not playing the ostrich and sticking your head in the sand will earn you points with your customers. It also shows the world that you’ve accepted the negativity your brand encountered and have grown from it.
Understanding Reputation Management
Reputation management isn’t all about pushing down negative comments and encouraging positive ones. It’s about building brand recognition and loyalty among your customers. When a customer decides to bet on a business and stick by them, that customer is less likely to listen to everything the naysayers have to say.
Using this logic, it stands to reason that posting information your customers want to see, replying to their comments, and taking their requests into consideration will get you far. The more brand loyalty you encounter, the less chance there is that a future reputation issue will be cause for concern.
However you choose to approach reputation management, be it through a third-party firm or on your own, be true to your brand. Consumers are smart, and they can tell when things aren’t what they look like. Building a strong foundation for your brand and working your way up will improve longevity, popularity, and most importantly, loyalty.
Hopefully these 4 tips have helped you in creating a plan for your brand’s reputation management. Be sure to reach out to a reputation manager if you have further concerns or questions.