Every hour of every day all over the world people talk about you.
Whether you are a business or an individual, your brand interacts with new and existing clients. The things you say or do, the pictures you post, the posts you like or put out, they all speak volumes about your business. Consciously or subconsciously, you are influencing what others think about you.
Reputation management is controlling and influencing the opinions others hold of an individual or a business. Online reputation management (ORM) refers to the regular monitoring and influencing of one’s image on the internet. ORM services focus on how online users perceive a brand and seek to influence this through a variety of ways.
There are varied reasons as to why an individual or organization would need to secure the services of a reputation management company. Some reasons that might indicate you may be in need of Reputation Management include:
1. You Are Recruiting or Job Hunting?
When looking to hire new employees you have to be cognizant about is your online reputation. Many recruiters use your online footprint to assess the perceived character of your business. Will good employees want to work for you? Negative reviews can effect your ability to attract the best qualified candidates.
Potential employees at the top of their field typically will receive multiple job offers from your competitors. They will will do online research on your brand to prepare themselves for an interview. Multiple negative comments can reduce their interest in working for you. Employment agencies can also monitor your online reputation to determine if you are high-quality company for the potential employees they represent.
2. You Are Managing a Crisis?
Businesses that find themselves in the middle of a crisis online will often need to hire an online reputation management consultants to properly manage what is being said about the company. In today’s world, a scandal-like event that includes your business can have real life repercussions.
3. You Want to Increase Sales?
Many people nowadays go online to find more information on a product or service before determining to make a purchase. The information they find on your brand directly influences their buying decisions. 50% of potential customers check out online reviews, according to a 2017 Local Search and Online Survey. Companies that are looking to boost their sales and visibility elect to hire reputation management consultants to find out the best ways to positively influence their clientele.
4. Have A Case of Mistaken Identity
What if you share a name with someone who has a toxic online reputation that comes up anytime your someone googles name? If you find that the results of an online search for your name lead back to a namesake with a bad reputation, you need to remedy that situation. The people who have met you might know it is not you but the majority are those who have never met you. The need to distinguish your online identity in such a case calls for the services of a reputation management company.