Brand reputation management is a complex process, but in this quick guide, we list some tools and actions that can help you track and improve your online reputation to stay ahead of the competition.
What is brand reputation management?
A strong brand reputation management strategy should focus on staying on top of what people are saying about your business and ensuring you project a positive image with your actions. The process involves several stages (all of which need to happen at the same time, all the time). To manage your online reputation successfully, you will need to:
- track your own online activities
- measure customer satisfaction
- monitor review sites and social media
- improve community engagement
- optimise customer experience
We’ll go into some of these in more detail right away.
Which actions help improve brand reputation?
Recently, we’ve heard a lot of talk about brands being transparent. It’s actually something you have to build a good brand reputation – customers appreciate the communication – but it does open you up to risks. The key thing is to handle it properly.
- If you receive negative criticism, respond quickly and positively. Offer apologies, and make suggestions for how you could solve the problem. The essential thing is to transfer the dialogue offline and show yourself open to customer needs.
- Ask for feedback – consumers appreciate surveys and polls. Bonus: you learn how to improve your customer service.
- Don’t fight negative reviews. Sarcastic or aggressive replies will not be applauded by other consumers. Again, suggest a way for the reviewer to get in touch to resolve the problem.
- Measure customer sentiment – listen to what people are saying about you. Ignoring criticism (however unfounded) is more damaging than helpful in the long term.
- Engage, engage, engage – a watertight social media strategy and visible online presence will do wonders for your brand reputation. Young consumers, in particular, engage with brands online, and the more you are there for them, the more positive their feelings towards you.
It does require a good amount of effort, no question about that. But fortunately, there are some tools you can use to help measure your brand reputation.
Tools to create a brand reputation management strategy
Brand reputation management software can be great for SMEs in particular, as it does the hard work of collecting reviews and feedback for you.
- ReviewTrackers and Podium are two custom-priced options that gather reviews from across the web. With ReviewTrackers, you can also monitor trends, while Podium’s dashboard allows you to respond to feedback.
- Cision is a communications cloud that can track mentions of your brand across the internet, including social media. You can also use it to measure campaign performance and manage outreach.
- Yext helps you to manage social media accounts, as well as ensuring all your company information is up to date and consistent across the web. Pricing is reasonable, so it’s good for smaller businesses.
Even without tools, keeping an eye on your online reputation is essential – whether you’re a global brand or a local business. Begin with brand reputation management today to save a headache later!
