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Online reputation: what it is and how to take care of it
What is online reputation?
Online reputation is the set of elements representing the prestige of a brand, company, or person on the Internet.
It is common to confuse online reputation with social actions carried out by the brand, but it goes much further. Because online reputation is not under the absolute control of brands or companies, all users on the Internet can contribute to making this image or reputation by providing their comments and opinions.
What factors can influence of a company or person
Two different factors can influence reputation:
- Internal factors: the actions carried out by the company or brand itself. Ads, announcements, actions on social networks, customer service …
- External factors: the information provided by external users to the brand, that is, customers. This can be reviews, images, information, opinions, etc.
Why it is essential to take care of your online reputation
We live in an increasingly digitized world, and users search for information about anything on the Internet. So the search for reviews and opinions on companies or personal brands is something that has been established.
Having a good online reputation will help your business to be rank well and is also beneficial for:
▶ ️ Influencing prestige and brand image: users tend to trust the comments or reviews left by other people who have previously bought from the company. Therefore, your brand’s online reputation will influence the mental image of users seeking information about you.
▶ ️ Increasing engagement or loyalty from customers: you have probably trusted more companies or brands with a good image that conveys confidence to you. And once they have your trust and you have bought their products, it is easier for you to continue being a customer.
▶ ️ Transmitting trust: even if a user does not know your brand, if you have a good reputation online, and they find good and interesting information about your company, you will transmit them the necessary confidence to convert.
How to take care of your online reputation
To start taking care of your online reputation, you first need to know what reputation you currently have and what the online world “thinks of you”. So let’s get to work.
How to know your current online reputation
Online reputation is not something that you analyze only once, but each day can be different because users can comment or post content at any time.
How can you analyze it?
- Research on Google with keywords related to your company: the name of your company, the name of some of your products, etc.
- Research what is said in Google about your sector. If you sell shampoos, look for information related to what users say about this industry.
- Do social listening: look for hashtags of the sector, information related to your brand, user comments, what your followers say in their accounts, etc.
Once you’ve analyzed your current online reputation, it’s time to start taking care of it, so here are some tips:
#1. Treat users or customers well
Manytimes, a company’s online reputation is ruined because the customer service team does not respond well or takes a long time to answer questions or queries from customers.
Try to answer users as soon as possible and with good manners.
#2. Have a brand communication plan
Companies or brands must have a communication protocol for their brand image. So how are you going to communicate?
In addition to this, it is also recommended to have a brand crisis plan in place, that is, a plan to know how to react in the event that online reputation is damaged for any reason.
#3. Be close
The Internet has helped brands be closer and that users can communicate with them at any time and through any platform. So it is important that you do not stay behind, evolve along with the situation and show yourself close on your website, social networks, etc.
Now that you know what online reputation is and how you can take care of it, it is time to start with your plan.
If you want to know more digital marketing terms to use in your strategy, I leave you our dictionary: