Online Reputation Management Strategy

Online reputation management and repair is an essential component of our professional and effective online presence. We at TLF invest in developing the presence and reputation of the organization online. To avoid things like lost revenue, damage control and neglected/ inconsistent online presence. The following outlines TLFs online reputation management strategy.

1) Broaden the Internet Presence

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are often considered the “big three” when it comes to social media platforms. For organizations, however, there are dozens of other social sites we want to look into as a way to expand your digital footprint. The key is to determine which social media platforms our target audience based primarily uses in in order to establish a presence before someone else has the opportunity to damage your name.

TLF would likely benefit from having a presence on LinkedIn and WhatsApp, where we can build professional connections with other organizations, donors, and those in need who might benefit from our services. TLF, on the other hand, might consider showcasing their services on a visual platform like Pinterest. Looking to reach a younger demographic, we will need to keep their finger on the pulse of emerging social platforms such as Snapchat, especially since these newer apps are not yet oversaturated with business/organization accounts. Expanding our reach into social media will not only allow us to connect with your target audience, but it will also bolster our control over the top search results associated with your business should a negative review ever arise.

2) Paying Attention to Our Social Media Accounts

Simply having multiple social media accounts for our business is not enough to manage our online reputation – it’s important that they are current and regularly maintained in order to garner an organic following. By continually filling your social media feeds with relevant and interesting content, we will increase our influence, boost our engagement, and have the opportunity to interact with current and potential donors.

3) Grow the Online Visibility of the TLF brand

If TLF owns a brand with name recognition outside your organization name, we may need to build out your web presence and social profiles even further. Develop websites, social media profiles and other forms of rank-able content for any faction our organization that potential customers might search for by name. Neglecting to claim ownership the additional brands and services associated with our organization could become complicated – and potentially costly – to gain control of should someone else reserve the online usage first.

4) Generate and Respond to Online Reviews

One of the most effective ways to build up your business’ online reputation is to let your happy beneficiaries and donors build it for you through online reviews. According to the 2018 Local Consumer Review Survey, a massive 86% of people read online reviews for businesses before deciding to make a purchase. With this in mind, asking beneficiaries base to provide reviews online will help the organization generate a positive reputation in order to build beneficiary trust.

In addition to collecting beneficiary reviews, online reputation management also depends on how the organization responds to any less-than-stellar reviews the organization might receive. Rather than ignoring negative reviews – or even worse, becoming combative – apologize for their experience and attempt to come to a solution via a phone call or an email. Many times, the reviewer will be willing to update their original feedback with a higher star rating after addressing their concerns and coming to a resolution.

5) Update Our Blog Frequently

Blogging is great for online reputation management for several reasons. First and foremost, regularly blogging allows you to demonstrate expertise and thought leadership in your field. The blog also provides the opportunity to gain a loyal following by providing our readers with a bevy of answers to common questions related to your industry. As an added bonus, blogging provides a rankings boost for local SEO as well as creates content to share across social media platforms.

6) Listen to Our Beneficiaries

When responding to negative beneficiary or donor feedback, it is important to consider that there may be some validity to the comments being made. This is especially true if you receive frequent negative feedback regarding a specific concern. Rather than simply disregarding online complaints as a case of a bitter former beneficiary or donor, make sure to address all concerns professionally while considering whether or not this feedback can be used to improve our organization operations moving forward.

Organizations must always treat customers with respect and demonstrate that you value their feedback, especially because you never know how many potential beneficiary and donor may be reading your responses before deciding if they’d like to work with you. The way you face criticism online could very well be driving current and potential donors into the arms of your competitors without even knowing it. We will make it a point to listen to every donor and every beneficiary complaint – whether we agree with it or not – and respond with respect rather than defensiveness.

7) Make Genuine Amends

Human error is an inevitable part of life, but it can be detrimental to the organization if not handled quickly and efficiently. If you and/or the organization makes a mistake, it is important to own up to it and make a genuine apology to those who have been affected. A sincere apology followed by unconditional amends works wonders when it comes to diffusing a situation and repairing a professional relationship.

8) Refrain From Online Arguments

It does not matter who is right or who started the dispute – engaging in online mudslinging almost always comes across as unprofessional. If you allow yourself to react to criticism emotionally, you could end up saying or doing something that tarnishes your reputation.

The best way to avoid getting into a public online argument is to try to move the conversation offline in an effort to fix the problem. Staying professional will likely win over more customers than being “right” in an online argument. If you find ourselves or our organization being pulled into a digital dispute, take the time to step away from the computer until you have a professional strategy in place to diffuse the situation.

9) Invest in Online Reputation Management

Establishing your reputation online requires an investment of time and money. Regretfully, many small businesses neglect to proactively manage their reputation until there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Proactive online reputation management is an essential element of any modern-day digital marketing strategy. If you lack the know-how needed to manage your business’ reputation, doing so yourself may be frustrating, time-consuming, and/or potentially alienating to your customers. A well-managed online reputation is always worth the investment – if you don’t have the time, don’t know where to start, or simply aren’t getting the results you want, hire someone to handle it for you.

It’s Never Too Soon to Start Managing Your Business’ Reputation.