Building a positive online reputation requires a multi-pronged approach. It can be achieved with some expertise and professionalism, but it must also be constantly monitored in order to maintain that positive association.
Just one example of negativity can damage the perception of a company or brand, so it is crucial to remain on top of the monitoring process.
Monitoring Online Reputation via Social Media
A dedicated multi-platform social media program will keep tabs on all mentions of the brand while providing the ability to influence conversations simply by taking part in them.
By being involved in conversations about your brand, even negativity can be turned into a positive experience. For example, should a customer complain via one of the multiple social media platforms a business employs, the company can turn that negative into a positive by responding quickly and professionally to solve the issue. Few customers expect perfection, but most will certainly prefer to do business with a company they know will work with them to solve any problems that do arise as quickly as possible.
Using social media to provide your clientele with a platform to voice their positive comments is great PR but responding to negativity can also be healthy for the public perception of your company.
Monitoring Perceptions via Specific Search Engine Alerts
Search engine data is a very important mine of information regarding your brand’s online reputation. Even a simple tool such as Google Alerts can help you keep in touch with what search terms are most frequently being associated with your business. You should be monitoring what positive things customers are saying as well as negative, plus it is always a good idea to keep a eye on general search terms relevant to your industry.
To monitor the positive comments populating search engine results, set up alerts that will provide you with information regarding searches for your company name alongside words such as best, love/like and favourite.
Keep tabs on negative search results by setting up alerts for your company or brand name alongside terms such as complaint, refund or rip-off. This will give you the chance to respond to any negativity as quickly as possible as well as take advantage of positive comments about your company.
Monitoring Atmosphere with General Search Engine Alerts
There are always constant developments in any given industry, such as new search terms that are gaining rank and new competitors appearing in the search engine results. All of these can be monitored by carefully selecting certain keywords and phrases to monitor. For example, a business selling paper will want to monitor general terms such as best paper brand, or local paper merchant to see what is being said about their industry and competitors.
With these more generic terms, it is also possible to gauge the overall mood within a particular industry, enabling your company to make smarter decisions which take advantage of trends as they develop.