What Is Online Reputation Management?

We live in an age when everyone is talking.  The Web has given everyone a soapbox, a mouthpiece, and a forum to make their feelings known.  Facebook alone has over 500 million users who share their opinions with trusted friends every day.  Twitter processes over 50 million messages daily, broadcasting nearly all of them to the world at large.  Popular review sites such as Yelp have become a go-to resource for millions of potential customers and clients.

No question: it's a great time to be a consumer.  But for business owners, this brave new world can be a minefield.

Negative publicity these days can come from any corner.  It takes just one bad post or scathing review to tarnish your company's image in the eyes of thousands.  Sites like Citysearch and Google Places have grown into powerful tastemakers that rival august brands such as Zagat and Consumer Reports. And online forums like the Consumerist and Epinions boast famously candid reviews, many originating from anonymous sources.  

Often business owners would just as soon withdraw from this messy, clamorous world as try to engage it.  Others live in fear of saying or doing the wrong thing, and sinking further into conflict as a result.

But this is precisely the wrong approach.

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It is possible to engage your customers in more positive ways.  Successful reputation management means offering helpful information, redressing concerns, awarding loyal fans with exclusive deals, and lifting the veil of corporate anonymity that may have led to the issue in the first place.  

The social Web values interaction, first and foremost.  If you can project charm, humility and an enterprising spirit, you may be astonished at how well the social Web embraces your brand.  You may even win over a few disgruntled customers as a result.

Online reputation management requires nothing more than close attention. People just want to be heard, now more than ever.  And staying active on the social Web is one of the best ways to show them you are listening.

To learn more about how the online reputation management experts of Breakthrough Content can help you address poor reviews and online conversations with pitch-perfect restraint, please contact us right away.