Online Reputation Management: Why it’s important! [infographic]

Think about the last time you purchased something online. You probably visited Google and searched for a bunch of “best of” terms. After you finally shortlisted a few candidates, you might’ve made your way to your favorite online shopping portal and looked at the reviews. After looking at the first few reviews, you either chose to purchase that item or move on with your search. This is how most of us make decisions about the brands or products we want to spend our money on. We’ll look at some articles online, but what ultimately pushes us one way or another is what other users are saying about the thing we’re interested in.

Peer reviews are an extremely powerful thing. Businesses live and die by their user reviews. A scathing review on Yelp could cost your business thousands of dollars in revenue. This is precisely why online reputation management is so crucial. If someone who visits your website or frequents your store has a terrible experience, they’re likely to go online and tell other people that they should avoid your service.

Managing your reputation online can be a tricky thing. You might think it only involves responding to user queries over social media, but there’s a lot more to it. To start with, you should focus on building a brand that specializes in giving your users the best experience possibly. This means having an intuitive website, genuine reviews and a clear statement of purpose. Don’t pad your product with fake or paid reviews. People aren’t that naïve.

Once you’ve done all that you possibly can to create a good user experience, you need to make sure you have your ear to the ground. Listen to what people are saying about your service and use their feedback to make tangible improvements. Don’t get dragged into unnecessary discussions with your haters. And most importantly, be honest. People like it when you admit that you made a mistake.

Online reputation management (ORM) is an aspect of business that you simply can’t afford to ignore in today’s world. Let’s dive deeper and see how you can go about your ORM in the best possible way. This infographic about online reputation management for brands, is courtesy of Simplilearn.com.

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image credit: fatbit.com