To date, any business, enterprise or person determined to increase their customer base or their sales knows how important it is to have an online presence (and a good reputation) .
There is no person who is not active on the internet and who, before proceeding with a purchase or filling in a contact form or sending their CV, does not surf the web a bit to carry out useful research to collect some additional information. It is the so-called Social Proof, that psychological mechanism of external validation that automatically leads us to conclude, for example, not to buy the product that has received negative reviews or, again, to distrust a brand with which other users have had bad experiences.
In short, what appears on Google and on social media represents a way for all stakeholders to evaluate a brand or a professional. From this point of view, digital reputation represents a fundamental asset, an asset in which entrepreneurs and companies must concretely invest because a good personal and brand reputation can do a lot when it comes to increasing conversions.
What is digital reputation
Digital reputation, web reputation, online reputation a valid definition for all these concepts could be: the set of judgments expressed on the web regarding a brand, a company (even specifically its services and/or products) or a person and which allow us to understand how this brand, company or person is perceived from the outside.
Everything users say about a brand or a person on the web is influenced by many factors and is not limited to what happens online. The communication of a company or the ethics that guide its work can in fact be crucial factors in the eyes of the public and, therefore, significantly influence their opinion.
Brand reputation and personal reputation
Online reputation can be divided into two “branches”: on the one hand, brand reputation (or corporate web reputation) indicates the sum of the opinions expressed on the web about a company; on the other hand, personal reputation indicates the online image of professionals in their respective business branches.
For both brands and professionals, considering that their image is directly reflected on the brand they represent, a bad digital reputation can create serious repercussions. Suffice it to say that research conducted by TrustPilot on 1,800 Italian consumers found that 41% read online reviews and customer ratings before proceeding with the purchase of a product or service. Not only that, a bad web reputation can lead to real reputational crises and cause serious damage to the company’s public image.
How online reputation management works
In reality, good online reputation management starts from planning a good digital strategy capable of guiding the steps that the brand or the professional take online.
Next, all that remains is to monitor what users say online, define a course of action to improve positive signals, determine a plan to manage any reputational crises and implement a whole set of analytical activities, such as sentiment analysis, with the aim of having a clear understanding of the actually perceived value of the brand.
The analysis of the sentiment associated with the brand (or the professional) is very important to keep track of the evolution of public perception over time and to catch possible signs of danger in time.
Web reputation monitoring
Monitoring web reputation involves carefully considering what users write on the web, especially on review sites and industry forms, vertical blogs or price comparison sites as well as, of course, on social networks.
Already Google, with Google Alert, provides a useful monitoring tool that allows you to receive daily alerts on any mentions on the web relating to our brand, a keyword that must be fed to the tool to automate the process.
Online reputation between Acting and Reacting
When it comes to managing your online presence, whether it is related to your brand or to your person, it should always be remembered that perfect reputation management takes into account both what the brand does directly on the web (the way it communicates, for example) and the way he handles what users say about him. Action and reaction, in short, as integral parts of a reputation management that aims to avoid reputational crisis at any cost.
Act
In fact, to build a good online reputation, there’s nothing better than starting from what can actually be done and predicted. Naturally, the starting point has to be a quality product and service that is offered to the public for its value. A good digital strategy does the rest . Implementing a calibrated and tailor-made strategy allows you to make the most of every point of contact with customers (or potential partners or candidates) by offering them the right information with the right tone of voice in relation to the chosen communication channel. Communication is in fact a fundamental element to allow the user to get closer to the brand and, for the brand, to win its trust.
In short:
- Offer quality products and services
- Define an online presence strategy
- Fine-tune your strategy based on audience reactions
To react
Monitoring what is said about the brand online offers the great advantage of being able to calibrate one’s communication strategy and intervene in time should critical issues arise. A negative review or cutting comment can be harmless if handled correctly and quickly. Punctual, kind answers, which aim to reassure the user and provide a solution to his problems, serve not only to avoid the creation of entire threads with harsh tones, which would be difficult to appease, but also to positively represent the brand as a a reality open to criticism, willing to put its face in it and listen to its interlocutors.
Therefore:
- Monitor online mentions
- Respond promptly and politely to negative reviews
- Moderate social media (avoid creating entire threads of negative comments)
Improve your online reputation
Despite the good practices described above, it remains clear that one’s online reputation, precisely because it is the sum of judgments and considerations expressed by others, cannot be 100% controllable. An untruthful comment, a negative experience that falls outside the direct responsibilities of the brand are always around the corner.
The real goal, when it comes to improving online reputation, is therefore to create a digital identity representative of the company’s goals and mission and, thanks to this, avoid reputational crises by constantly improving the results of the strategies implemented.
Monitoring, as we have seen, is a fundamental part of digital reputation management.
To proceed with the activities that we have described as part of the “reaction” to what is said about the brand on the web, it is necessary to define the analysis processes and the intervention methods. Once again, what the company does (the tone used in replying to comments, the resources made available to dissatisfied customers, the personalization of the reply) can all be elements defined from the outset, in a real operational workflow.
Taking all of this into account, to improve the perceived value of the brand, ethical and responsible work combined with communication that skilfully mixes content (depending on the channels to create the right degree of engagement and encourage positive word of mouth among users) can produce great results. Transparency and emphasis on brand strengths are key to consolidating your online image .
Conclusion
To summarize the information gathered in this article, here’s what every brand (or person) should pay attention to:
- Your own website: a real showcase for any brand, the website must be cared for down to the smallest detail to provide users with all the necessary information. Through a good UX and the writing of content developed from an SEO perspective, it is also possible to obtain a good positioning on search engines, promote a positive brand image and increase user trust.
- Reviews: considering that negative experiences mostly drive users to leave a review, why not encourage satisfied customers to leave some positive comments?
- Social networks: cross and delight of every business, social profiles are a great way to interact with your customers. Having a well-groomed profile and responding quickly and politely to negative comments allows you to create a good brand image.
In short, online reputation is a real asset that deserves attention and investment.
Precisely for this reason, Human Analytica offers among its services the analysis of personal and brand reputation with the aim of helping companies and professionals to have a precise and complete picture of their digital image, sentiment and value perceived by users. This type of activity can (and must) be the starting point for defining a marketing strategy that aims at growth and does so with awareness of the actual starting situation, of what actions may be undertake, the tools and resources available, the dynamics of the reference market and the business objectives.
If you are looking for a digital strategy that will help you grow and establish yourself on the market, you are looking for Human Analytica. Contact us to tell us about your goals, we’ll take care of the activities to undertake.