Those are the words of Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in the world. From account hacks to controversial statements, brands often struggle to recover from embarrassing social media exposures.
Do you remember Dell Hell?
We know that Dell sell, repairs and supports computers and related products and services. It was one of the first companies that had to fight against a attacks on social media.
In 2005 only one angry customer posted “Dell sucks. Dell lies. Put that in your Google and smoke it, Dell.” Dell did not join online conversations with their customers yet and consequently this post resulted into a domino effect. Dell lost in 12 months 25 percent of its value. Later Dell started joining online conversations, listening to their customers and providing transparency throughout their brand. Today, Dell takes part in more than 25,000 conversations in social media per day.
They state that for them “social media is far more than a tool – it’s an extension of our brand, which is all about enabling people everywhere to use technology to grow and thrive”. Source: www.dell.com and essay
Generally speaking, there are three reasons why a business would invest in online reputation management:
Starting from scratch with no reputation
Businesses need to make sure they have a business reputation management strategy in order to take advantage of the fact that consumers have shifted their decision-making process. Trust, reputation, reviews, and recommendations are all priorities that can result from the right reputation management strategy.
Repairing a damaged reputation by minclaw
Individuals should tak the following steps to repair its online reputation:
– Apologize for inappropriate behavior (if necessary),
– Actively monitor yourself on Google for mentions,
– Create constructive online content and support your social media profiles,
– Eliminate ongoing digital threats (ex. damaging content and fake profiles) to your reputation, and
– Contact a brand reputation or internet defamation attorney.
For businesses, effective strategies to repair a damaged online reputation include this
– Claim all major online business profiles and respond to reviews,
– Utilize search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to improve search engine result visibility,
– Encourage positive reviews from customers and clients,
– Create targeted and branded content that amplifies your business’s message, and
– Work with a brand reputation or internet defamation attorney.
Maintaining existing reputation by business.trustpilot
Earning and keeping your customers’ trust is key to long-term success and is the core principle of having a reputation management strategy. After all, an honest reputation is the path to consumer trust. In a world where word of mouth is still the most powerful method of recommendation, it is very likely that your customers will discuss their positive or negative experience with friends or family. Gossip, opinions, and recommendations travel fast, and with a tool as powerful as the Internet, consumers are easily influenced by readily available information, whether it’s accurate or not. In order to ensure you’re managing your reputation, you need to manage how consumers are able to discuss your company.
Take charge of your reputation online and build a positive brand image!
