Maintaining a good online reputation is very important for any business today. You can’t control what has to say about your brand but with a well-managed and executed reputation management strategy you can dominate the overall narrative. 

81% of shoppers research online before buying from you. Also, 90% of users stated that a positive review can make them more likely to frequent a business. It is a very impactful medium that needs to be monitored frequently. 

In this article, we’ll learn why you need a reputation management strategy, how to create one, and where you should focus your strategy. 

Why should you have a reputation management strategy?

A reputation management strategy is a combination of strategies that a business or brand implements to improve its online reputation and overall online perception. 

Businesses need a reputation management strategy to protect their brands. It helps in building a positive image of the brand and a consistent branding strategy on all channels. It enhances customer loyalty, and customer engagement and increases customer retention. 

An effective Online reputation management strategy helps build trust and authority. It minimizes the potential risk and reduces potential damage to the brand. It also improves the visibility of your brand and optimizes search engine ranking. According to a report, 98% of users search for small businesses before purchasing them. 

Reputation management Strategy provides valuable insights and analyzes user sentiments, which helps in making better decisions. Every business needs a reputation management strategy. Every business gets a mixed review. Negative reviews are highlighted more than positive. To counter such reviews and narrative you need a reputation management strategy. If your brand has customers who like to share reviews online and aggressive competitors, then you must have a reputation management strategy.

How to create a reputation management strategy

Creating an effective reputation management strategy is very important for fulfilling long-term business goals. Here are some of the steps you can take to build an effective strategy

• Goals: Research your target audience. Determine your business and reputation goals. Select approach key performance indicators to measure success.
• Audit: Track online reviews and ratings across different channels such as Google, Yahoo, etc. Track and monitor all the brand mentions and sentiments. Manage your website’s content and visual hierarchy. Monitor the areas of improvement and implement efficient solutions. 
• Content Strategy: Create high-quality content that highlights your brand’s unique selling proposition (USP), values, philosophies, etc. Prepare a content calendar for maintaining a proper posting schedule. Include meta tags, keywords, etc in your content and optimize it for SEO.
• Review Management Process: Encourage your users to leave a review. Respond to all types of reviews professionally. Use review management tools to monitor and manage the review management process.
• Social Media: Promote your content on social media platforms. Track brand mentions and respond to all queries. 
• Analyze: Use appropriate KPIs for measuring the success of your review process. Build a crisis management team to counter future risks and threats. Make necessary changes or adjustments to your strategy. 

Where should you focus your strategy?

Here are some of the important areas where you should focus your review management strategy

• Google Review: Google is the most popular search engine, and building a strong presence on Google is very important. Google reviews influence Local SEO which is very important for local and small businesses. Respond to all positive and negative reviews professionally. 
• Social Media Reviews: Build a strong presence on Facebook, Instagram, etc. Build a community with your customers and engage with them. Use social listening tools to monitor brand mentions. 
• Industry-Specific Review Sites: Build a strong presence of review sites that are more dominant in your industry or amongst the target audience. Optimize your listing on these sites to ensure consistency. Be polite and professional in your response.
• Website: Collect reviews on your website to build trust and credibility. Showcasing your reviews on your website helps in building a strong reputation. Engage with users who leave a review on your site. Respond to them and address their concerns and queries. 
• Review Sites With High Domain Authority: Frequently monitor and respond to reviews on these sites. Share these reviews on your website or social media to build trust and credibility. 

Small businesses have limited resources and have to compete with larger brands. However, having an effective reputation management strategy can help them position well against such big brands. It helps in building them as a thought leader and provides an equal and fair opportunity to them. To compete with big businesses you need an effective reputation management strategy that is cost effective. Lumia 360 provides cost-effective and smart digital solutions. Our Reputation management system helps in increasing your SERP ranking and fulfills long-term goals.

Read Also: Social Media Advertising On A Budget: Cost-Effective Strategies 

Read Also: Color Theory in Web Design

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Pinterest
• X