How to Choose a Reputation Management Service
What is reputation management?
Online reputation management is a strategy that involves monitoring and molding your company’s internet reputation by emphasizing positive reviews and limiting negative ones. There are a variety of strategies used, including search engine optimization (SEO), content development and management, social media monitoring and management, review acquisition and management, third-party website monitoring and competitor analysis to mend a poor reputation or maintain a positive image.
What do online reputation management services do?
Reputation management services use a variety of strategies to analyze, establish, protect and restore a company’s image online. Here are some of the primary strategies these services employ:
SEO and management: SEO comprises optimizing your online content so it ranks higher on popular search engines like Google. Reputation management firms use SEO so that consumers who are searching for topics relating to your business will be more likely to find you. If there is negative information about your business appearing in search results, the reputation management company can use truthful, positive content to counter negative content. Content development and management: To rank well in search engines and build a good reputation, you need a high-quality content strategy. Many reputation management services will work with your company to create new material so that your target customers find positive results about you or your business right away.
Social media monitoring and management: While platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, can grow your business or brand, it takes only one inappropriate picture or comment to cause a public relations (PR) nightmare. Reputation management services can monitor your social media profiles. They can also control your company’s social media efforts by strategizing posts to get high engagement.
Review acquisition and management: Many reputation management services help businesses acquire and manage online reviews. These services employ tactics that encourage people to write reviews. When people write good reviews, the company promotes them on sites like Google and Facebook. When people write negative reviews, your business is notified so it can rectify the situation. Some services have software that allows businesses to manage reviews from one platform.
Third-party website monitoring: Negative reviews from former employees and displeased customers on websites, such as Yelp and Glassdoor, can be particularly damaging, and it’s not difficult for a dissatisfied person to create a new website or blog to disparage your company. Reputation management services can monitor the internet to see what people are saying about you.
Competitor monitoring: A less common, but still useful, aspect of reputation management is competitive benchmarking. This is the act of monitoring your competition to see how you compare in terms of local search terms, social activity, online mentions, reviews and more. Your business is unique and may need some or all of the above strategies. Several reputation management companies also provide comprehensive digital marketing services, unifying your online presence. Depending on your needs, you might want to work with a company that offers services, such as website buildin