Neil McNulty
4th Sep, 2018 
Most businesses know what ORM – or Online Reputation Management – is but don’t consider that they’ll ever need it. It’s only for the big corporations, right, when something goes really wrong? Not necessarily so!
Online Reputation Management services aren’t just for the bad times; ORM is the practice of developing strategies that influence and shape public opinion of your organisation. Certainly, you need Online Reputation Management services when something goes wrong, but you can also use them as part of your ongoing brand development and marketing.
Suncoast Web Solutions
ORM is, as the name suggests, an online strategy linked to your website and digital marketing. It can be used to boost your search engine ranking, to build awareness of your product or service or to counteract negative publicity.
Oscar Wilde famously said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”. The other well-known comment, most likely made by showman Phineas T Barnum, is that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. However, this rather depends on your line of work!
For celebrities and socialites, Wilde’s quote is probably quite accurate. For car manufacturers, airlines and supermarkets selling pre-packed salad, bad publicity is bad publicity!
Online Reputation Management Services
Online Reputation Management services have become far more important in recent years, as the internet has changed. Websites used to be little more than a brochure for your products and services. They were static pages that presented information, with no user interaction.
The rapid growth of interactive websites, as well as social media, have given consumers a powerful voice and they’re not afraid to use it. Disgruntled customers, or employees for that matter, don’t suffer in silence anymore; they post online, and they tweet. Very often this will take the form of a video, made on their smartphone, and posted on YouTube. There’s no hiding from that!
The temptation in these situations is to say nothing or deny everything. However, good Online Reputation Management services will advise otherwise. Communication and transparency are the best approach.
Admit your Mistakes
Very often when companies ‘own up’ to a mistake it goes away quite quickly. You will have experienced this on a personal level; you’re angry with a friend or family member and all ready for a fight, and they throw their arms in the air and say, “yep, my bad!” Takes the wind out of your sails, right?
Businesses benefit from the same approach. Admit the mistake and explain what changes you are making to avoid it happening again. Even better, pre-empt the bad news by posting about it first.
On a more minor level, always respond to online comments and negative reviews. Don’t just ignore them or delete them, and definitely don’t argue.
Call in the Professionals
Suncoast Web Solutions has helped quite a few clients out of a hole, largely because it understands that around 25% of an organisation’s market value is directly linked to its reputation. It’s all about building trust, in good times and bad.
Suncoast Web Solutions also knows that around 85% of your potential customers will check you out online before doing business with you. The way your organisation has handled difficult situations in the past will influence future business.
If you’d like to know how to handle a potentially negative situation, or put a plan in place to be prepared, have a chat with the experts at Suncoast Web Solutions.
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