Whether you are an individual, a large company, a small business owner, or even a public official, the way in which you are portrayed online should be an important part of your marketing focus. Rich Gorman is an expert at online reputation management and has been a leading expert helping companies to control their online presence. It takes less than 5 minutes to ruin your online reputation. Here are a few things to help you not mess it up!
Strengthening brand awareness through social media marketing platforms like Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Instagram, etc are a good way for a company to create an online voice. This marketing is usually positive content produced and posted under the direction of the company that shares the brand’s vision. However, equally important to your brand’s online presence is the content posted by other media sources and consumers that make up your online reputation. Basically, we are what Google says we are.
The same social media platforms that make it convenient for companies to reach their customers; also make it easy for customers to post and share reviews. These opinions, both positive and negative, on a brand, company, or service are then shared with thousands of online followers.
There are an estimated 1.15 billion Facebook users that are exposed to a potential 1500 pieces of content with every login. Additionally Instagram just announced they now have 150 million users and an estimated 16 billion uploaded photos since their company launched three years ago. The amount of user-generated data posted online daily should give a sense of urgency to both individuals and companies with the importance of actively monitoring their online reputation.
Rich Gorman has several suggestions on how to control the way you and your company are portrayed online. As you can imagine, being faced with negative press and reviews online can cause a decrease in business and is frustrating to deal with. Bad reviews can come from a variety of sources and unfortunately even just one customer having a bad experience can quickly spread through social media to reach their entire circle of influence.
There are several tools available to help companies actively monitor their reputation online so that if bad reviews or press is released, they have the opportunity to quickly counteract the negative news with positive information.
Here are three tips from expert Rich Gorman to help manage your online reputation:
Brand Enhancement
- Create content that focuses on the positive qualities of your brand or product that show consumers why you are the best choice. Rather than focusing on removing negative content from search results, redirect your target customers to positive reviews and marketing. The faster you can start promoting positive press online the better response you will have in combating negative reviews.
Encourage Customer Interaction
- It is important to tell your story but rather than broadcasting your advertising message and telling consumers what to think, encourage users to help share your message for you. Social media makes customers more likely to advertise your product for free than ever before.
- Take advantage of this opportunity by being an active member of the online community. Rather than just pushing your brand, interact with your customers and share posts that are relevant on a larger scale. When customers do interact with you online, or post positive feedback, reward them by responding. This will strengthen their connection to your brand and encourage future sharing.
Remarketing to Existing Customers
- Using a remarketing campaign to focus advertising resources on existing customers, or potential customers that have already visited your site but did not purchase, is a great way to promote positive brand awareness. The ads serve as a way to promote the popularity of your product. Gorman says, “Since retargeting serves your ads to the people that engaged in your brand but did not buy, it is a less expensive and more efficient way to convert consumers.”
Gorman encourages companies and individuals not to be overly discouraged by negative reviews. Online reputation management has a variety of tools and strategies available to help companies build a positive and strong online presence. Rich Gorman states that, “The vast majority of online consumers say they consult online reviews prior to making a purchase and a company’s reputation is one of the key factors in making the decision of who they will ultimately do business with. It is essential to have safe guards in place to actively manage your online reputation”. Special thanks to Rich Gorman for the interview!
