Top 3 Reasons Why Online Reputation Management Can't Be Taken For Granted

Your direct sales efforts are just not the reason you are making sales. In fact, forget about the only they are not even the primary reasons you are making sales. But, there are a few things that you might not have realized are the main reasons behind conversion and they are your reputation & good will in the market. Now, since the major part of the market is online, you need to manage your online reputation as well. No lesser no better than offline as reputation is reputation and never forget it’s a very small world and things take seconds to get viral. Whether a post on social media or an ad copy or your website each piece of content that you have online is accountable for your online reputation – good or bad. Online Reputation Management (ORM) is an integral part of digital marketing today. It not just nurtures the leads but nurtures the masses giving you more & more sales in the end. If you really want to have a good standing for your brand in the market, then you have to have a dedicated ORM strategy. The first rule of managing online reputation is look before leap however if by chance a piece of content that you have online have brought some negativity with it then through ORM you can eliminate, weaken or counter that negative impact with positive  material adding to the credibility and reinstating the customer’s trust. Some negative reviews or complaints or even at times fake online content published by your competitors to spoil your image in the market may tatter the reputation of your brand but don’t worry if you have a strong ORM strategy things won’t impact much or can be faded away. Through ORM you can keep your target audiences engaged and influence their purchase intent. So, let’s have a look to 3 concrete reasons as to why you can’t at all take ORM for granted.

ORM is the foundation of a Strong Brand Image

 “85% of consumers read reviews online to determine whether a business is good or bad!”

 The given stat by recent study explains why ORM is so crucial. Of course the reviews are not directly in your hands but if even if you have encountered a bad review for your company by fluke but you have your seat belts fasten it won’t tarnish your image. I mean if you already have a strong brand image through a robust ORM strategy, then no matter how strong is the flow it won’t erupt your image. So make sure, you religiously work on your ORM strategy and give a lot of value to your audiences through high quality online content. It could be blog submissions, social media marketing, forum postings or any piece of content that can engage your customers positively. It helps build trust with the consumer reinforcing your brand image, increasing your recall value and influencing the consumer buying decisions.

ORM helps you gain consumers’ trust instantaneously

Just like the way a positive review on web can influence the customers buying decision, all your online content inspire them  to trust your business easily if its worthy of that. When I say worthy I mean it shouldn’t be simply a sales pitch rather the piece of content should give some value out of to the consumers by giving them some kind of education they need or solving the issues they might be going through. Trust me it builds trust very easily and that I always say trust is purchase intent.

ORM helps you manage uninvited disasters easily

A strong online reputation can even turn your brand opponents to brand proponents!

A strong ORM strategy makes sure that your consumers know and believe that you care. It does both provides you with a foundation to have a smooth management of the disaster if has happened and to transform complaints into complements. Even during the times of crisis you can stay calm and subtle and deal with the consumers smartly instead of getting nervous and losing control over things if you have a strong ORM strategy. As I said it’s a small world and things hardly take second to get viral. Your one bad review or comment can spoil your image in seconds flushing away all your efforts that you put in building it. However, if you have already done your homework, managing a moment of crisis won’t be a big deal. Believe it or not, the most irate customers if handled properly can become the most loyal customer.

So!

When you think about sales, when you think about marketing don’t forget to first think about ORM as all your sales & marketing tactics are in vein without a robust ORM strategy!