What is Reputation Marketing?

Reputation marketing is a relatively new concept in the digital world. Here are some of the basics to get you started on this new type of marketing!  

Surely, if you’ve ever tried to start a company or any kind of organization then you have been in need of some form of marketing. While there are many different types of marketing you can choose from, one form that has become very popular is reputation marketing.

Let’s find out what exactly it is:

What Is Reputation Marketing? 

Reputation marketing is defined as the act of monitoring and managing your reputation across various touchpoints to ensure you are successful at managing how people feel about your business. 

It is an important way to promote your company’s public image. It is a process that involves developing and distributing positive messages about the company through various channels, such as social media or traditional advertising. The goal of reputational marketing is to increase customer satisfaction with both the organization and its products by building trust, loyalty, and good will.

What it means is to be defined as a subject matter expert in your niche, build up a strong community of people who are interested in YOUR product, and nurture that community into becoming consumers of your products or services.

Why is it important to be aware of your online reputation?

The internet has made it easier for people to talk about companies and products they have experienced because when they have a good experience, the positive reviews are posted online for everyone to see. Even if someone has had a negative experience with a company, they are more likely to post their complaints online rather than seek help from the business.

The effect of positive reviews on customers is tremendous. According to some studies, 90% of customers believe online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

What it all comes down to is that your business is only as good as your reputation. If no one knows about you or if people think that you’re not trustworthy, then it will be difficult to have success in today’s competitive market.

Therefore, it is important to always monitor your online reputation and make sure that you are building a strong community of satisfied customers.

Elements of Reputation Marketing

The following elements are essential to successful reputation management:

Branding

The brand of the business, company or individual forms their reputation and sets expectations for future interactions.

From the onset, define the following:

• The mission that the business, company or individual is trying to achieve
• Brand voice that can be used to communicate with customers
• The visual elements that the company wants to portray and differentiate itself from competitors including logos, colour scheme, font choices and more
• The type of people that the company wants to attract.

Content Creation and Distribution

Consistently create content that has a positive impact on the business, company or individual’s reputation.

This means having an active and engaging social media presence, as well as having your company’s website optimized for organic search engine results. 

Dos:

• Create positive content that will build up your online presence by engaging with others who are interested in the same things that you are.
• Make sure that there is a strong focus on relevance when it comes to the content that you put on your social media channels, website and blog. 
• Be consistent with your messaging, tone of voice and branding across all of your online platforms. 
• Be accurate and transparent with your information, as well as being open to feedback from those who are interested in you. 

Don’ts:

• Avoid spamming. Don’t be the brand who posts about their product without any context or the user who posts the same thing over and over again.
• Do not post anything that might be construed as offensive or insulting. This will only damage your reputation and you may end up having to spend a lot of time and money to repair it.
• Steer clear of being overly promotional. It is one thing to have a link or mention of your product in context, but don’t overwhelm users with links and ads.
• Avoid putting all of your trust in the hands of one platform because you never know when something can go wrong.

By sharing information about current events and industry news on social media profiles, you can demonstrate that your company is socially aware and engaged in the community. 

This will help to develop a good reputation for your business as an authority and help your company form positive opinions of itself in the eyes of potential customers and employees which can lead to greater success over time. 

Proactive Brand Reputation Management

Regardless of whether or not you have a negative review of your company, it is important to proactively manage the way that potential customers and others in the community perceive your business.

And this is where brand monitoring plays an important role.

Brand monitoring is the process of tracking online mentions about your company, and making sure that you respond to negative reviews as quickly as possible.

For example, if a consumer has posted an unfavorable review of your company online, you should respond to the post with empathy and understanding – this way you can help to turn the situation around.

This will show potential customers that your company cares and is willing to go out of its way to resolve issues and keep customers happy. What better way to market your business than this?

In summary:

• Monitor what people are saying about your company, brand or product online. This should be an ongoing process, not one that is limited to the launch of new products.
• And address negative reviews and respond quickly with a personal touch.

Memorable and unique customer experience

In today’s digital age, people are used to experiencing a high level of convenience and efficiency. 

It can be difficult to stand out in the marketplace, so it can be helpful to provide a memorable experience for your customers.

Here are few tips:

• Use personalization – try to add a personal touch to your service offering as much as possible. For example, if your company offers a specific product or service, personalize the shopping experience by making it easy for customers to select their favorite colours.
• Provide customers with a direct line of communication to your company so they can voice their opinions and concerns. This is important for customer service reasons, but also for reputation management.
• Make it easy for customers to share their positive experiences with others. User generated content like testimonials and reviews provide your business with free advertising.
• Be transparent and provide full disclosure about any product or service that you offer, even if it is not competitive with your competitors. 
• Also, be honest and upfront about any issues that may arise within your business. This shows customers and potential customers that you are committed to providing outstanding customer service and that you take your business very seriously.

Benefits of Reputation Marketing

Having a positive reputation means having satisfied customers who are eager to share their positive experiences with others. This ultimately leads to increased sales, larger market share and greater profits for companies that invest in reputation marketing.