Do You Need Online Reputation Marketing?

Wondering if you need online reputation marketing? The answer is probably yes — even if you feel you have a great digital presence. This form of advertising uses a company’s online reputation to promote its brand through positive reviews, testimonials and other brand assets. 

While similar, it’s not the same as reputation management. Reputation management is defensive, using different tactics to improve your digital presence if it takes a hit or needs to be improved. On the other hand, reputation marketing has an offensive stance, taking initiative and using your reviews and customer interactions to further your business. 

Let’s go through why this type of digital marketing is so important and how it’s impacted by emerging technology and customer preferences. 

Popular Online Reputation Management Tools

Before getting into the nitty-gritty details, it’s best to start with platforms and services that can help you elevate your reputation management and marketing. Having a partner to assist you with your brand identity management can take some of the stress and pressure off your shoulders. 

Birdeye

A platform that helps turn customer reviews into your competitive advantage, Birdeye is a brand reputation management company that assists businesses with creating a strong Google Business Profile — previously known as Google My Business — and digital reputation. 

Podium

Podium is a tool that helps businesses improve their customer feedback response time, collect more reviews and support their customers digitally. It provides a suite of management and communication tools that can help boost your identity. 

NetReputation

By partnering with NetReputation, you gain a team that will examine your online content and images, social media marketing interactions and search engine results and paint a clear picture of areas you can improve. They offer reputation management, content removal, review management, crisis management, branding and reputation monitoring. 

Mention

Mention helps take the guesswork out of your online reputation management strategy by supplying you with tools for brand management, public relations management, competitive analysis, crisis management, digital marketing research and social media management. 

Brand24

Analyze your competitors and gain insight with Brand24, a solution that enables you to get AI-powered access to mentions across social media, news, blogs, videos, forums, podcasts and online reviews. This enables you to know how and where people are talking about your organization, providing important information for your marketing strategy. 

Meltwater

Meltwater delivers media monitoring and analysis across several channels, helping you understand the ways people engage with your content and tracking keywords connected to the topics that matter the most to you. 

The Art of Responding to Reviews

Reviews have become a critical touchpoint for consumer engagement in more ways than one. For starters, over nine out of ten (95%) of customers read product reviews before they choose to purchase something. Additionally, 58% of people say they’re willing to pay more for a product that has good reviews. With this knowledge, it’s obvious that having positive reviews that consumers can read is beneficial for driving sales. 

Secondly, how a brand responds to online reviews — both positive and negative — can significantly influence its reputation and customer loyalty. 

The Importance of Timely Responses

The secret ingredient to responding to reviews is timeliness. By responding quickly to any sort of feedback, you show your customers that you pay attention to detail and care what they think of your brand. It also highlights how you’re eager to address concerns or thank them for kind words. 

Forbes mentioned timely responses can also help you control the narrative of your brand and protect its image. 

Strategies for Addressing Negative Reviews

Brushing bad engagement under the rug isn’t a good solution for dealing with negative reviews. Deleting or ignoring any sort of feedback can be looked at as lazy and uncaring, even if it’s just one bad comment. People really like it when you take the time to engage with them, respond to their concerns and try to gain their trust back. 

Here are some ways to do that:

• Always respond professionally and empathetically: Never make it seem like you’re trying to defend yourself or make excuses. Instead, acknowledge how they’re feeling and apologize sincerely. 
• Offer a resolution: Provide a clear path to resolve the issue. This might include offering a discount, refund, replacement or a private follow-up. Showing a willingness to make things right can leave a positive impression.
• Take the conversation offline: Because you don’t want to escalate the problem or air out your company’s dirty laundry completely, encourage the reviewer to contact you directly through a private channel, like email or phone, to discuss the issue in detail. This allows you to resolve the matter without further public discussion.
• Ask for a follow-up review: Once you’ve resolved the issue, kindly ask the customer if they’d consider updating their review. If they’re satisfied with your resolution, they may adjust their rating or review, which could benefit your overall rating.

Best Practices for Responding to Positive Reviews

It might seem unnecessary, but responding to positive reviews is also critical. Whether it’s a simple thank you message or a heartfelt paragraph wishing them well, acknowledging that they took the time to type out a positive review is always beneficial. Some ways to do this include:

• Personalize your response: Avoid generic responses like “Thank you for your review.” Address the reviewer by name (if possible) and mention specific details they highlighted in their review to make your response feel genuine and thoughtful.
• Express genuine gratitude: Sincerely thank the customer for their feedback and for choosing your business. Showing appreciation fosters a fruitful relationship and can increase customer loyalty.
• Highlight future engagement: Mention upcoming products, services or events, or simply say you’re looking forward to seeing them again. This can encourage customers to return and stay connected with your business.
• Always use your brand’s voice and tone: No matter what type of business tone you have, ensure it’s consistent in every interaction with your customers — including your review responses. Doing so reinforces your brand personality and makes the interaction feel more authentic.

Leveraging Reviews as User-Generated Content 

User-generated content (UGC) — any content type that’s created by customers — is an invaluable asset for brands, and customer reviews are one of the most powerful forms of UGC. By effectively leveraging reviews, you can enhance your online marketing strategies, build trust and foster community engagement:

• Understand the value of UGC: People trust other people. That’s why you’re probably more likely to go to a restaurant with a long line rather than one that’s empty. This is because word-of-mouth marketing and other people’s thoughts do sway public opinion, making UGC a powerhouse for brand reputation marketing.
• Encourage customers to leave reviews: To get reviews — especially positive ones — you might need to ask. By training your team members on how to politely encourage feedback, you can build up an arsenal of brand mentions and satisfied customers. 
• Incorporate reviews into marketing strategies: Don’t just ask for positive reviews online and expect them to work miracles. While they do help, a good reputation and brand image aren’t built on this tactic alone. Find ways to call attention to a positive customer experience through strategic actions and data-driven insights. 
• Showcase UGC across platforms: Do you have loads of great reviews? Show them off! Highlight them on your website, post them on social media and add them to your email newsletters. Input the kind words your customers have shared wherever it makes sense. 

The Role of Social Media, Maps Apps, Forums and Online Directories

What might be thought of as normal, everyday platforms can actually be powerful use cases for your online reputation marketing. They not only influence consumer perceptions but also serve as vital touchpoints for engagement and feedback. 

Here’s how to get the most out of them:

Social Media

Social media allows for immediate feedback, enabling businesses to address customer concerns and showcase positive interactions promptly. Satisfied customers often share their experiences with their followers, acting as brand advocates. Positive posts and shares can amplify your reach and enhance your reputation.

Maps Apps

Ensuring your business is accurately listed on maps apps is essential. Include essential information like hours, contact details and links to your website. Reviews on maps apps significantly impact local SEO and customer decision-making. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews to improve your overall rating and attract new clients.

Forums

Monitoring forums can offer valuable insights into customer sentiment and emerging trends. Engage in relevant discussions to address questions or concerns directly, enhancing your brand’s reputation. Just keep in mind: Always prioritize adding value to the community over direct self-promotion. 

Online Directories

Ensure your listings are complete and up-to-date, as these directories often serve as the first point of contact for potential customers. Actively manage reviews on these platforms by responding to feedback and encouraging satisfied customers to share their experiences. High ratings and positive reviews can significantly impact your reputation and drive business.

Online Reputation Marketing in the Age of AI

Generative AI, particularly in the form of chatbots and natural language processing tools, has the potential to shape public perceptions based on the vast amounts of data it processes. Understanding how AI interacts with user-generated content is crucial for businesses aiming to maintain a positive online presence. For example, if Reddit thinks your brand is awful, and ChatGPT reads Reddit, then ChatGPT might think your brand is awful. 

This is risky for your brand perception — not only with your audience but also with the search engines responsible for helping you reach them.

On the flip side, AI can also analyze vast amounts of data and effectively understand your customer’s preferences and behavior. This can help you enhance the customer experience and boost reputation marketing by knowing what’s most important to your audience and how they respond to your organization. With a clearer picture of customer preferences and behavior patterns, you’re well-equipped to make impactful, data-backed decisions that resonate with your audience.

With AI and the right tools by your side, you can start monitoring your customer engagement and responding timely to their feedback to better perceive their expectations and preferences. Ready? Go!